In the world of research, understanding the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis is crucial. They are the foundations of our study and guide our data collection.
The Null Hypothesis, or H0, is the assumption that nothing is happening – that everything is normal. This is our default assumption until we have evidence to prove it wrong. For example, if a researcher is studying the effect of a drug on patients, the null hypothesis might be “This drug has no effect on patients.”
When we obtain statistical evidence from our experiment, we may decide to reject the null hypothesis. When we reject the null hypothesis, it means we suspect something is happening – the situation is not normal. This is called the Alternative Hypothesis, or HA. In our example, the alternative hypothesis might be “This drug has an effect on patients.”
We do not accept a null hypothesis when we don’t reject it. It is not proper to say we “accept the null hypothesis,” because we are limited by the quality of our research. Instead, we can only say we “reject the null hypothesis,” or “fail to reject the null hypothesis.”
REMEMBER:
- The Null Hypothesis is the assumption that nothing is happening – everything is normal.
- We reject the Null Hypothesis when we have statistical evidence.
- The Alternative Hypothesis is the assumption that something is happening – the situation is not normal.
- We cannot accept a hypothesis to be true. They will remain as assumptions within the context of our experiments.
Tanim Talino 