Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant.

The Scientific Consensus represents the position generally agreed upon at a given time by most scientists specialized in a given field.

scientific consensus. (general agreement among informed scholars) stems from a community of scientists who collaborate in a cumulative, self-correcting process.

A new methodology has been emerging from the scientific (nonmedical) community: the introduction of modeling and simulation as an integral part of the scientific process. Thus, after the hypothesis is proposed and an experiment is designed, modern scientists perform numerous simulations of the experiment.

The basic steps of the scientific method are: 1) make an observation that describes a problem, 2) create a hypothesis, 3) test the hypothesis, and 4) draw conclusions and refine the hypothesis.

Here’s an example following the seven steps of the scientific method:

• Ask a question.
• Perform research.
• Establish a hypothesis.
• Test the hypothesis by conducting an experiment.
• Make an observation.
• Analyze the results and draw a conclusion.
• Present the findings.

How to Use the Scientific Method in Everyday Life

1. Locate or identify a problem to solve.
2. Describe the problem in detail.
3. Form a hypothesis about what the possible cause of the problem might be, or what a potential solution could be.

The Six Steps

• Purpose/Question. Ask a question.
• Research. Conduct background research.
• Hypothesis. Propose a hypothesis.
• Experiment. Design and perform an experiment to test your hypothesis.
• Data/Analysis. Record observations and analyze the meaning of the data.
• Conclusion.

Hypothesis: What’s the Difference? A hypothesis proposes a tentative explanation or prediction. Their hypothesis may be proven true or false by testing and experimentation. A theory, on the other hand, is a substantiated explanation for an occurrence.

In scientific reasoning, a hypothesis is constructed before any applicable research has been done. A theory, on the other hand, is supported by evidence: it’s a principle formed as an attempt to explain things that have already been substantiated by data.

In science, a theory is a tested, well-substantiated, unifying explanation for a set of verified, proven factors. A theory is always backed by evidence; a hypothesis is only a suggested possible outcome, and is testable and falsifiable.

defined as a proposed explanation (and for typically a puzzling observation). A hypothesis is not a prediction. Rather, a prediction is derived from a hypothesis. A causal hypothesis and a law are two different types of scientific knowledge, and a causal hypothesis cannot become a law.

The definition of a prediction is a forecast or a prophecy. An example of a prediction is a psychic telling a couple they will have a child soon, before they know the woman is pregnant.

A hypothesis is usually written in the form of an if/then statement, according to the University of California. This statement gives a possibility (if) and explains what may happen because of the possibility (then).

Predictions are often written in the form of “if, and, then” statements, as in, “if my hypothesis is true, and I were to do this test, then this is what I will observe.” Following our sparrow example, you could predict that, “If sparrows use grass because it is more abundant, and I compare areas that have more twigs …