formulate a hypothesis

USAGE SUMMARY

"formulate a hypothesis" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it whenever you need to explain that an educated guess or prediction about a particular situation is being made. For example, "In order to better understand the impact of increased urbanization on wildlife, scientists have formulated a hypothesis that populations of animals that rely on undeveloped areas for habitat will decrease."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

42 human-written examples

"According to the scientific method, you formulate a hypothesis, in this case the flood spillage theory for the Black Sea, and then you test it," Dr. Hall said.

The New York Times

"At S.A.C., there's an expectation that you're using the resources to formulate a hypothesis, and that's what he did," she said.

The New Yorker

Take a few minutes to formulate a hypothesis (or two) so that you can experience the thought processes students undertake in this classroom exercise.

Evolution: Education and Outreach

The daily averaged P is calculated for a four-month interval during the year 2003 (DOY = 1 120) to formulate a hypothesis about factors controlling night Pc3 occurrence.

Earth, Planets and Space

A particular analysis of experimental data leads to the confirmation of non-reversible friction characteristics and allows to formulate a hypothesis that a course of such characteristics also depends on value (not only on the sign) of acceleration.

Chaos, Solitons & Fractals

At no single point in the process does a scientist formulate a hypothesis about the entirety of the phylogenetic tree, perform a specific test, then either accept or reject the hypothesis, in the manner suggested by simplistic pictures of scientific inquiry.

Evolution: Education and Outreach

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

18 human-written examples

The rheological behavior of the different latexes was also compared, and the results were used to formulate an hypothesis on the interaction mechanisms acting in these systems.

Polymer

We found that many features are shared by all novel ORFs, allowing us to formulate an hypothesis on their possible shared origin.

Genome Biology and Evolution

In this capacity, he formulated a hypothesis (Poehlman was fabricating data), performed experiments, analyzed his data (reviewing patients' records and talking to members of Poehlman's lab about concerns about data analyses) and concluded, based on the data, that his hypothesis was indeed correct.

The New York Times

What is it, then, when a scientist formulates a hypothesis that growth patterns follow temperature, and tests the hypothesis against data only to find that growth patterns do not follow temperature at all for 30% of the data and only partially for the rest?

The Economist

Moreover, formulating a hypothesis on the preferred kinetic model based on physiological properties of the tracer, e.g. derived from preclinical studies, is advised.

EJNMMI Physics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "formulate a hypothesis", ensure it is testable through experimentation or observation to adhere to the scientific method.

Common error

Avoid prematurely drawing conclusions while "formulating a hypothesis". The hypothesis should be an initial guess, not a restatement of known facts or desired outcomes.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "formulate a hypothesis" functions as a verbal phrase indicating the action of creating a testable explanation or prediction. As shown by Ludwig, this is fundamental to scientific inquiry. Ludwig AI states that this usage is correct.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

82%

News & Media

9%

Wiki

4%

Less common in

Formal & Business

2%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "formulate a hypothesis" is a widely used phrase, especially in scientific and academic writing, to describe the creation of a testable explanation or prediction. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is grammatically correct and frequently appears in contexts related to research and investigation. The phrase is most commonly found in science contexts, with less frequent use in news and media. When writing, ensure that the hypothesis is indeed testable through experimentation or observation to align with the principles of the scientific method. Using synonyms like "develop a theory" or "propose a hypothesis" can offer stylistic variations while maintaining similar meanings.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

propose a hypothesis

Highlights the act of putting forward a hypothesis for consideration.

develop a theory

Emphasizes the creation of a broader explanatory framework rather than a specific testable statement.

hypothesize

A more concise, verb-form of the original phrase.

theorize

Focuses on the process of developing a theoretical explanation.

advance a thesis

Suggests a more formal and elaborate proposition, often in academic writing.

put forward a proposition

Stresses the act of presenting an idea for consideration or debate.

frame a research question

Focuses on the question that the research aims to answer, implying a hypothesis will follow.

make a conjecture

Implies a guess based on incomplete information.

construct a model

Implies creating a simplified representation to explain a phenomenon, from which hypotheses can be derived.

pose a question

Highlights raising a question that leads to a hypothesis.

FAQs

How do I use "formulate a hypothesis" in a sentence?

You can use "formulate a hypothesis" when describing the process of creating a testable explanation for a phenomenon. For example: "Based on the preliminary data, the researchers aimed to "formulate a hypothesis" about the cause of the disease".

What can I say instead of "formulate a hypothesis"?

You can use alternatives like "develop a theory", "propose a hypothesis", or "hypothesize" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "formulate a hypothesis" or "formulate an hypothesis"?

"Formulate a hypothesis" is more common. While "formulate an hypothesis" is grammatically acceptable, the 'h' is generally pronounced, so 'a' is preferred. Refer to the examples for appropriate usage.

What's the difference between "formulate a hypothesis" and "test a hypothesis"?

"Formulate a hypothesis" refers to the process of creating a testable statement, while "test a hypothesis" refers to the process of conducting experiments or observations to determine whether the hypothesis is supported by evidence.