What is Hypothetical: Definition and 189 Discussions

A hypothesis (plural hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For a hypothesis to be a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it. Scientists generally base scientific hypotheses on previous observations that cannot satisfactorily be explained with the available scientific theories. Even though the words "hypothesis" and "theory" are often used synonymously, a scientific hypothesis is not the same as a scientific theory. A working hypothesis is a provisionally accepted hypothesis proposed for further research, in a process beginning with an educated guess or thought.A different meaning of the term hypothesis is used in formal logic, to denote the antecedent of a proposition; thus in the proposition "If P, then Q", P denotes the hypothesis (or antecedent); Q can be called a consequent. P is the assumption in a (possibly counterfactual) What If question.
The adjective hypothetical, meaning "having the nature of a hypothesis", or "being assumed to exist as an immediate consequence of a hypothesis", can refer to any of these meanings of the term "hypothesis".

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  1. X

    Hypothetical question concerning vectors of steering?

    Hypothetically: -car is aligned properly -crown has nothing to do with anything -the steering wheel is on the Left and you weight generously 200lbs. If you were to draw vectors and include G forces and everything you can think of for this incidence, what would you conclude? You are...
  2. L

    The principle of inertia and hypothetical FTL particles

    Hello, A recent paper by Cohen and Glashow argued recently that FTL neutrinos would quickly lose energy by pair creation (in vacuum). Starting from the principle of inertia, I had a hard time trying to understand that. According the principle of inertia, the physics should be the same in...
  3. B

    Hypothetical question on academia: credit and copyright vs ethics.

    Lets presuppose that you are a philosophy major, or a psychology major, or something else and through logic and creativity you have what you believe to be a universal field theory. Please put all likeliness of this situation aside and let's assume there is a very very good chance your theory...
  4. Z

    Hypothetical situation, what is seen before light arrives?

    Before I get pounced on by academics from near and far, I just want to mention that I'm no longer a college student and never took a course in physics. All of my knowledge on the subject is practical and thus the answer to this eludes me. So in advance please forgive me if the answer to this...
  5. F

    Hypothetical question about speed and distance across space

    I have two hypothetical questions about breaking the speed of light that has been bugging me for quite a while. Question 1: Assume an impossibly sturdy and light pole is attached to the earth. Its length spans a distance of 200 million light years into space. Since it is anchored on earth, it...
  6. N

    Matter waves - Real or Hypothetical?

    Hi my expert friends, I'm confused with these seemingly two contradictory statements: 1- Phonons are the quantized quasi-particles of the normal modes of lattice vibrations and we have Longitudinal (LA) and Transverse Acoustical (TA) Phonons and Longitudinal (LO) and Transverse Optical...
  7. S

    Hypothetical question: Meteor hitting Earth

    If there was a Meteor traveling at around 25,000 mph and was about 1km wide that hit Nevada, would that take out the whole state? And how much debris would be floating about the atmosphere? How long does that stuff block the sun out? And also, would that debris travel in a certain...
  8. A

    Speed of light hypothetical question

    Slight theoretical question that i have difficulty wrapping my head around. Lets imagine a confined room traveling trough space at .9c on a line defined by points A and B. Let's say that in this room is a light source. If this light source is turned on than does the light inside the room...
  9. B

    Hypothetical number of ancestors in 399 BC

    I was trying to get some idea of how many ancestors I had around the time of Socrates (399 BC is his death), so I tried coming up with a way to find it. So I'll start at my birthday which is 1991. I'll pretend that my parents were both 30 when they had me; I'll also pretend every pair in...
  10. A

    Hypothetical graviton : Why a spin of 2 ?

    Hi, Why have the hypothetical gauge boson of gravitation, the so-called graviton, a spin of 2 ? What about his chirality ? (projection of spin on his propagation direction) I mean, does it mean that the graviton can have a polarisation like a photon, but that this polarisation is two...
  11. C

    Hypothetical situation of planck length object and lightspeed

    Initially known theories: 1. General consensus: Planck length is smallest measurable unit of length 2. Objects approacing light speed contract in length Scenario: Some hypothetical mass measured to be a Planck length is accelerated infinitely close to light speed. Questions: Can a...
  12. R

    Electrostatic Forces on Three Hypothetical Parallel Planes

    Say there is are three hypothetical infinite parallel planes with charges on it. So let's imagine the three planes from left to right, or planes one, two and three. Plane-three is fixed to the reference frame. Plane-one and plane-two have a fixed separation distance between each other, but...
  13. B

    Blackbody effect hypothetical question

    According to the blackbody effect, can something be so hot that it emits no visible light? I say this because the more heated an object is, the more it moves away from the visible light spectrum, does that apply until there is no light at all?
  14. P

    Calculating Orbit Time of a Hypothetical Planet in the Asteroid Belt

    Just looking for a place to start, not all the work. Homework Statement 3 The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter consists of many fragments (which some space scientists think came from a planet that once orbited the Sun but was destroyed). (a) If the radius of the asteroid belt (where...
  15. L

    What Happens if a Scale Model of the Sun Weighs as Much as the Real Sun?

    I'm writing an article in a plastic modeling magazine talking about scale weight. Plastic models come in many scales, i.e. 1/72 or 1/48, etc., so my article talks about what weight a model would be if it was also scaled properly for weight. For instance, a 2000 lb car, at 1/72 scale, would...
  16. A

    Finding the atomic mass of a hypothetical element.

    Here is a problem I have. Not really sure where to start. I'm not looking for the answer, I just want someone to point me in the right direction. A hypothetical element X has three isotopes: 40X, 41X, and 42X. Their abundances are 72.00%, 9.00% and 19.0% respectively. What is the atomic mass of...
  17. T

    Hypothetical questions with a closed system

    The 2nd law of thermodynamics refers to closed systems. 1. If we imagine a universe of infinite extent but where only one object exists that emits e/m waves, is that a closed system? 2. If we imagine a universe where only two asteroids exist and are orbiting each other, and a machine between...
  18. B

    Physics of Driving onto a Moving Car Carrier: Myth or Reality?

    I totally lack the physics knowledge to reach a mathematical conclusion to this problem myself- but I have been wrestling with a scenario in my head for a long time that I hope someone a bit more erudite can answer- here's how it plays out. Whenever I drive past one of those large car carrier...
  19. N

    Uncertainty Principle Hypothetical question

    Ok hey forum. I thought it might be a neat idea to contemplate this idea, and perhaps regurgitate some thoughts back on to this thread. So, as the Heisenberg uncertainty principle states, one can not know both the velocity and position of a particle or electron. I was curious to hear thoughts...
  20. L

    Ok really dumb hypothetical nearly impossible question

    what would happen if you were to be hit with 287 TEV Lead Ion? would you even feel anything or would it kill you? i can't wrap my head around it why i thought it up idk..
  21. P

    Deep space Communication hypothetical question

    Not sure if this is the right part of the forum. I suppose the question is a bit out of the ordinary but I need opinions. Suppose a species did develop a way to travel far distances and approach near light speed. Communication via radiowaves(or other forms) would be a bit archaic to...
  22. K

    Quantum-Dot Fluorescence - Hypothetical Semiconductor

    Homework Statement Consider a hypothetical semiconductor with band gap 1eV, Relative electron mass is 0.05 and relative hole mass is 0.5. In a cube-shaped quantum dot of this material with side length L = 3nm, what is the energy associated with a transition from (2 1 1) electron state to...
  23. S

    Hypothetical Question about Earth's Distant Future

    Hello, I am not a physicist and I am writing a fictious story about Earth's distant future so I would like to base it as possibly close to a plausible scenario. Therefore I ask for your help. Assume that the moon is blown up. Would that cause the Earth's rotation to slowly fade away? And...
  24. J

    Hypothetical spherical ball freezing.

    I've been pondering this question a while regarding how water freezes. Assuming the temperature above a lake is 0 degrees centigrade, the water at the top of the lake would decrease in temperature until 4 degrees centigrade at which point, being at its densest, would sink towards the bottom of...
  25. C

    Hypothetical Alloying Problem

    A and B are completely soluble in the liquid state but completely insoluble in the solid state. Will A, alloyed with a small amount of B, have a higher melting point than pure A? Explain.
  26. 0

    Questioning the Physics of a Hypothetical Cord

    I had a thought that's been bugging me and I wanted to ask some people who have more than a two semesters of physics about it. Let's say I have a cord made out of a hypothetical material that can't bend, stretch, or condense. Now, I take that cord and span it across one light year. If...
  27. P

    Question on a Hypothetical Interaction- Minimum Energy- Bosons

    Homework Statement If there was a hypothetical interaction that occurs on, say, a scale of 10^{}-30m, where would one look for signatures of boson associated with this interaction. By that I mean what would the minimum energy be approximately where I would look for those signatures. Also...
  28. fluidistic

    Conservation of energy, hypothetical situation

    I'm not sure the question belongs to classical physics, I apologize in case it's a no. Imagine a train or any object following a straight line motion. Suppose there's no friction between the ground and the train, such that its motion would go on forever. Now suppose that the train emits...
  29. O

    Hypothetical kinetics questions, just for fun

    Some imagination is required, so let me dress up the question a bit. Imagine Spider-Man is on a rooftop, and he shoots a web to the top edge of a nearby building that's taller than the one he's on, in an attempt to swing toward it. Assume that the web is non-elastic and is completely adhered...
  30. B

    Acceleration due to gravity for a hypothetical planet

    Homework Statement A hypothetical planet has a radius 2.5 times that of Earth, but has the same mass. What is the acceleration due to gravity near its surface? R(earth)= 6.38 x 10^4 m M(earth)= 5.98 x 10^24 kg G= 6.67 x 10^-11 Homework Equations g=GM/r^2 The Attempt at a...
  31. A

    3 part hypothetical battery question

    Homework Statement A 3.50 µF capacitor is charged by a 13.0 V battery. It is disconnected from the battery and then connected to an uncharged 4.44 µF capacitor (Fig. 17-29). Figure 17-29 Determine the total stored energy at the following points in time. (a) before the two...
  32. E

    Hypothetical time travel & time dilation

    Homework Statement <Q1> “Super Ted”, a famous children’s TV cartoon character, has just leant of an evil deed carried out by “Texas Pete” who had opened a farm gate at A and let all the sheep out onto the train tracks and roads. It shows that everything was normal until Super Ted boarded...
  33. M

    Hypothetical entanglement question

    Hey guys, I'm new to to this Physics Forum. In fact, this is my first post ever. So I hope this question hasn't been asked and answered a billion times already. Suppose that you have an experiment set up where two particles that are in a vacuum with each other become entangled and then one...
  34. L

    Hypothetical Planets Question?

    Planet A: Mass - 8 × 10^24 kg, Radius 8,200 km, Temperature - 500 K, Semi-major axis - 0.52 AU Planet B: Mass - 3 × 10^27 kg, Radius - 57000 km, Temperature - 150 K, Semi-major axis - 6.4 AU Planet C: Mass - 6 × 10^23 kg, Radius - 3500 km, Temperature - 105 K, Semi-major axis -37.8 AU 1. If the...
  35. I

    Massive electromagnetic charge - hypothetical for author

    Homework Statement Hello, I'm an author trying to work out (hypothetically) what the consequences, to humans, computer equipment etc) would be if a massive electromagnetic charge were to occur in a confined room? The Attempt at a Solution I have established that at room temperature...
  36. M

    I am Writing a scifi story. Is my hypothetical neuron at least plausible?

    I'm writing a scifi story about a human undergoing rapid evolution due to his being repeatedly "connected" to an alien biological machine,that would be controlling the evolution through some kind of program. one of the changes would be a "master" cell that was able to regulate clusters of...
  37. T

    Hypothetical cyclic process- does it violate the thermodynamic laws?

    Consider the following cyclic process: Each cycle 800J of Energy is transferred from a reservoir at 800K and 600J of energy from a reservoir at 600K. 400J of heat is rejected to a reservoir at 400K and 1000J of work is done. I think that the process doesn't violate the first or second laws...
  38. Pattonias

    A hypothetical space elevator question.

    I am a fledgling undergrad with a potential mechanical engineering degree in my future. I just have a hypothetical question about the space elevator that yall may be able to help me with. I have not taken my physics courses yet so forgive my limited working knowledge of the material. If you...
  39. S

    Hypothetical question on signal propagation

    If you connected a DC or AC source to the end of an single, infinitely long, straight wire suspended in free space (separated from anything), would propagation occur along the line?
  40. W

    A possible uncrossable boarder between bradyons and hypothetical tachyons

    A possible "uncrossable" boarder between bradyons and hypothetical tachyons... I would like to ask about a correlation between baryonic matter and hypothetical tachyons. From this I assume that there is a barrier between the highest speed a bradyon can achieve(infinetly close to c) and the...
  41. P

    Hypothetical space station orbiting inside a plasma torus

    Consider, if it were the case, that the plasma torus left in Io's path as it orbits Jupiter followed the same orbital path as the moon and was not deformed by Jupiter's magnetosphere...thus a space station orbiting Jupiter could effectively orbit in Io's plasma torus. Yes, this is going...
  42. Pattonias

    A hypothetical and impossible solution to the origin of the Universe.

    A hypothetical and "impossible" solution to the origin of the Universe. To fully understand the principles by which light operates we have to know that if you look far enough away you can see the universe when it was much younger than it is now due to the amount of time it takes light to reach...
  43. D

    Capacitor of a sphere and infinitely far hypothetical (spherical) plane

    Homework Statement An isolated sphere with charge +q can be treated as a capacitor whose second conductor is a hypothetical (spherical) plane with a ground potential and charge -q, located at a distance infinitely far from the sphere. the capacitance of the isolated conductive sphere is given...
  44. R

    Hit or Miss: Maintaining Fridge Temperature w/ Food or Air

    I haven't found an answer to this and I can't go to sleep until I do- If two refrigerators are at the same thermostat setting. One empty (assumed regular Earth air inside) and one full of food. Both have already reached the temperature on the thermostat. Which will require more energy to...
  45. L

    Hypothetical Scenario (Steel Rod + Heat + Vacuum)

    One end of 1m steel rod of 3cm diameter is welded to the interior wall of a steel container (steel: 310s or 2520). The other end of the steel rod is not in contact with anything. The pressure in the container is below 0.01mpa (vacuum). A heat source of 1100 Degree Celcius is applied externally...
  46. J

    Can metal shavings orbit around a wire in a magnetic field-free room?

    When a wire has current running through it, a magnetic field is created around it, right? And I've seen lots of diagrams of the magnetic field lines wrapped around a wire in a coil-like fashion. So, hypothetically, imagine if there was a current running through a wire, and that wire was...
  47. M

    Exploring the Hypothetical Inflation of the Universe

    Hypothetically, was there ever a time during inflation of the universe when the density of the universe would have been equal to that of water, and we could have swam through it? If so, how big would the universe have been at that moment?
  48. K

    Hypothetical Brain Teaser about Relative motion and the finite speed of light

    The essay question I have chosen for my assignment is the following: " If you are traveling in a car at the speed of light and you turn on your headlamps, will the light emitted illuminate the path in front of you?" I am not concerned with the car or its occupants in any...
  49. R

    Weight on a Hypothetical Planet

    Homework Statement The mass of a hypothetical planet is 1/100 that of Earth and its radius is 1/4 that of Earth. If a person weight 600 N on Earth, what would he weigh on this planetHomework Equations F = (G x M x m)/(R2)The Attempt at a Solution Well I know the mass of the person is the same...
  50. A

    A Little Hypothetical For You to Answer

    Statement: Only 2 conscious beings are alive in a universe. They are clones, exactly similar in every way down to the last atom, quantum fluctuation etc. Their names: Clone A and Clone B, to keep it logical they grow up in completely separate environments unbeknown to the fact the other one...
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