Definition:Hypothesis

Definition
A hypothesis is a statement that is made whose truth value has not been established, but which is believed to be true.

The underlying idea is that its truth or falsehood is about to be investigated.

A hypothesis is considered by some branches of philosophy as being synonymous with the words wild guess.

Possibly the most famous still-unproved hypothesis is the Riemann Hypothesis.

Also defined as
Some sources use the word hypothesis for a premise.

Some use hypothesis to mean antecedent in the context of a conditional statement.

Also known as
The word supposition is also found.

The word conjecture is frequently encountered, usually in the context of a statement whose truth value has remained unresolved for a considerable time after the passing of the one who first raised the question.

However, this usage is inconsistent.

The term open question is also encountered, usually in the context in which there is no evidence in either direction as to whether the statement is true or false.

Also see

 * Goldbach Conjecture
 * Von Neumann Conjecture
 * Riemann Hypothesis