How to Write a Science Fair Hypothesis

The hypothesis is central to your science experiment.

One of the key points of a science fair project is the experiment's hypothesis. The science fair hypothesis is the element that ties the whole science fair research project together. The hypothesis will determine what type of experiments you are going to perform, the equipment you'll need and how you will interpret your results.

Instructions

1. Do the background research. Before deciding on a science fair hypothesis, do thorough research on your science fair topic. Research different aspects of the materials. Try to find similarities and differences in the items you are researching.

2. Make a guess based on your research. A hypothesis is really an educated guess or a prediction. Guess something that you think might happen based on your research.

3. Make sure your guess is testable. You must be able to think up experiments you can do to test the validity of your hypothesis. If you cannot test if your hypothesis is right or not, you should think of a different one instead.

4. Create an if-then statement based on the guess. A hypothesis is made up of two parts. First, there's the "if" part, such as "If I add water ..." or "If the temperature is over 90 degrees ..." Next, you add the "then" part, such as "... then the cake will rise higher" or "... then the ice will melt faster."

5. Reword your hypothesis. Make it sound more elegant by taking out the "if" and "then" and switching the order around. For example, you might want to change "If the temperature is over 90 degrees, then ice will melt faster" to this: "Ice will melt faster if the temperature is over 90 degrees."

   Notice how the hypothesis is now stated like a fact. A hypothesis is often written like a fact even though the fact has not been proved yet (although you have a good hunch that it is true based on your previous research).

6. Prepare the rest of the research project with the hypothesis in mind. Make sure all the experiments you are doing are aimed toward proving or disproving the hypothesis.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to make sure the hypothesis is something that interests you and you think will interest your friends and teachers.

References

• Science Buddies: Hypothesis