Note+on+Hypotheses,+Theories+and+the+Scientific+Method

The [|Scientific Method] is a series of logical steps to solve a problem. The steps may vary slightly, but the series of steps is always a logical progression toward finding a solution to the problem. The steps are the following: 1. OBSERVATION: define the problem, state the purpose and identify what you are attempting to find out. 2. QUESTION: collect information on the problem (background research-What is already known about the problem?); seek advice and help from experts; make observations. 3. HYPOTHESIS: form a possible solution to the problem (often in the form of an “if...then...” statement). A hypothesis must be testable. 4. EXPERIMENT to test the hypothesis: performing many controlled experiments containing just one variable (quantifications, observations, and measurements). An experiment is a procedure used to test a hypothesis. It should contain controls and variables. The single variable is altered and compared to the controls that respond in predictable ways. 5. CONCLUSION: observe, record data, analysis of data, note all observations and summarize the data insuring adequate number of trials. Compare experimental data with a matematical model. Draw Conclusions; summarize results: does your hypothesis seem to be true? Can someone else repeat your experiments? Make recommendations for future hypotheses and experiments. 6. THEORY OR LAW if all the conclusions are positive in the sense that all the experimental results are compatible with those foreseen by the mathematical model, a theory or law is defined and it is valid until some result will contradict it.

HYPOTHESIS is an untested but possible solution to a problem, often referred to as an educated guess; it is a tentative theory about the natural world. The problem solver has become educated by observation and gathering information, but the hypothesis is still just a guess because it has not been tested.

THEORY is a set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena; it is a tested hypothesis that seems to hold true in every situation. A theory is rarely or never proven true in all situations, but is accepted as true because it has held true in all tested situations. A scientific hypothesis that survives experimental testing becomes a scientific theory. A theory is valid until evidence is observed to the contrary.

LAW is a statement describing a natural event. Unlike a theory, a law does not try to explain why it occurred. A law is often a mathematical equation.

//**In reference to the body image formation of the Turin Shroud, for the moment it is not yet reproducible in all its peculiar characteristics; therefore strictly speaking from a scientific point of view, no theories exist on the image formation, but only hypotheses.**// //**One of the aims of ShroudScience Group is to detect if a hypothesis can survive the proposed test.**//