Legal Definitions - hypothesis

A hypothesis is an initial explanation or educated guess about why something has occurred or how something operates. It is based on existing information, observations, or preliminary evidence, but it has not yet been definitively proven true or false. Instead, a hypothesis serves as a starting point for further investigation, research, or testing to determine its validity.

• Example 1: A Police Investigation

  During an investigation into a series of burglaries in a neighborhood, detectives notice that all the affected homes had unlocked back doors. They form the hypothesis: "The burglar is targeting homes with easily accessible, unlocked entry points, specifically back doors."

  How it illustrates the term: This is an initial explanation for the pattern of burglaries, based on the observed evidence (unlocked back doors). It's not yet proven, but it provides a focused direction for further investigation, such as stakeouts, reviewing surveillance footage near back entrances, and advising residents to secure all doors.

• Example 2: Product Development

  A software company observes that many users abandon their online shopping carts before completing a purchase. Based on user feedback and analytics, they develop the hypothesis: "The complex, multi-page checkout process is causing users to abandon their carts."

  How it illustrates the term: This is a proposed explanation for an observed problem (cart abandonment), supported by some data (feedback, analytics). The company will now test this hypothesis by redesigning the checkout process to be simpler and shorter, then monitoring if cart abandonment rates decrease.

• Example 3: Environmental Policy

  A city experiences an unexpected increase in respiratory illnesses among its residents. Local health officials notice that this increase coincides with a period of unusually high industrial activity in a nearby manufacturing zone. They propose the hypothesis: "Increased air pollution from the manufacturing zone is contributing to the rise in respiratory illnesses."

  How it illustrates the term: This is an educated guess linking an observed health issue to a potential environmental factor. It's a starting point for further investigation, which would involve air quality monitoring, epidemiological studies, and analysis of industrial emissions to confirm or refute the link.