Confidently Uncertain

The key to a good experiment is wording your idea correctly in the form of a testable hypothesis. In order to prove your hypothesis, you need to propose a null hypothesis that can be tested and falsified. For instance, if you suspect that the Tasmanian tiger is not extinct, you would propose the null hypothesis that it is extinct and challenge it with observations and measurements. The size of the area you survey and population variability also affect the results of your experiment, so it is crucial to choose an area that is representative of the big picture. Ultimately, the goal of science is to disprove old ideas and build confidence in new ones.