Can a hypothesis be wrong

Answer 1

Absolutely yes, an hypothesis can be wrong. Here are some examples:

• Lack of accurate information can influence an hypothesis. Example: Christopher Columbus's hypothesis was that he would reach the Far East. He didn't know the Americas existed. His hypothesis was wrong.
• Personal biases can influence an hypothesis. Example: If I was mugged by a Caucasian Middle-Aged Woman, I could later form an hypothesis in a professional study that Caucasian Middle-Aged Women are more angry than other ages of Caucasian Women. A bias can also be racial discrimination.
• Lack of a large enough group or cohort to study. Example: If I want to study male sexuality, but only 2 males join the study, how can I make any correct hypothesis about "most men" if I only study 2 men? However, if I study 10,000 men, it provides a larger group with more diversity and gives me a greater chance of making a correct hypothesis.

The best scientists and researchers know that questions lead to an hypothesis, and an hypothesis leads to more questions, which often means changing the working hypothesis. As an example, the study of cancer and its causes have been going on for years. Every study has an hypothesis, but, many hypotheses may have crumbled away in the studies and results. Hypothesis can be proven or disproven ... therefore can be accurate/right, or inaccurate/wrong.