Developing a concise and well-understood hypothesis forms

Observation is the foremost step in conducting an experiment that aims at using the scientific method to generate answers about a phenomenon. To come up with the law of gravitation, physicist Isaac Newton had to first observe an apple falling from a tree, and ponder why it failed to go upwards instead. In my experiment, I have been confronted by a group of children who had earlier observed the abnormal growth exhibited by indoor plants. The children cannot understand why the seedlings are bending towards a nearby window. According to Dawson (2009), researchers should use this stage to conduct extensive research about the phenomena in the hope of understanding all the issues involved. Information can be collected from personal experiences, journals, books, newspaper readings, and the internet.

Developing a concise and well-understood hypothesis forms the second phase of the scientific method. A hypothesis can simply be defined as a testable justification for what has already been observed. In formulating an effective hypothesis, scientists must always strive to come up with initial suggestions aimed at explaining the causes of the noted observations (Carter, 2004). My hypothesis for the experiment is that the plants are bending towards the window since they need light to meet their food requirements. In this stage of the scientific method, this hypothesis can only be looked at as a possible cause. But still, it is important to include some well-researched arguments to support the hypothesis. In my experiment, I have based my hypothesis on the fact that plants require sunshine in a normal environment to make food through a process known as photosynthesis. It is, therefore, logical to argue that more sunshine means more nourishment for the plants (“Photosynthesis,” 2007).

It should be noted that a hypothesis should never be presented in a way that heralds ambiguity and loss of direction. It should never be a general statement. In this experiment, I have proposed a hypothesis that is greatly based on the extensive information that I have researched about the relationship between plants and sunshine. The proposed hypothesis is testable by subjecting it to vigorous experimentation and logical thinking. At the end of the experiment, this hypothesis can either be proved right or wrong (Dawson, 2009).