How to make predictions?

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How do I make a decent prediction from a scientific hypothesis?? This has been coming up a lot in different areas of my school work. It's not so easy

 

Here's one example:

"Exposure to bacteria and waste products present in and on farm and pet animals in each childhood reduces the risk of the child developing asthma or severe allergies." What is a prediction of this hypothesis?

 

Now, I just don't understand how exactly a prediction is supposed to be/look. I have searched everywhere online to find something to help with this, nada. So, if anyone has hints or anything at all to help that'd be fantastic!

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

A prediction is just something you expect will happen if the statement is true. For example, here's a hypothesis:

 

"Gravity pulls objects downwards with a uniform acceleration."

 

Now, here's a prediction:

 

"If I drop these two objects from the same height, they'll hit the ground at the same time."

 

That's a prediction which would be true if they hypothesis is correct. It's how we test the hypothesis.

 

You can take anything that would be true if the hypothesis is true and wouldn't be true otherwise. (So while "if I set this on fire, it will be hot" is true, it's not a prediction of my hypothesis, and it won't help me determine if the hypothesis is valid.)

 

So for your example, you'd predict what would happen to children in different households.

[DrRocket]

It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future -- Yogi Berra

Edited February 1, 2012 by DrRocket

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So, "A child exposed to wastes and bacteria would then contract asthma or allergies" would work? or is that too obvious? :/

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

That's the opposite of what the hypothesis is saying.

 

Note that the hypothesis says "reduces the risk". You can't test this with one case. You can, however, test it with many cases, so you could say that "children raised on farms, on average, have..."

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"Children raised on farms, on average, have fewer cases of asthma or allergies." ?

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Sounds like a prediction to me.

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Thank you so much!