Definition Null hypothesis

A null hypothesis is what we call an assumption, the statement of which can be statistically verified. Often, a null hypothesis cannot be verified and can only be falsified. This means, that a null hypothesis is true until its falseness can be demonstrated.

An example of a historical statistical null hypothesis was published by Malthus in his theory of population from the 1798 book Essay on the Principle of Population. In his essay, Malthus established the hypothesis that food production would not be able to keep up with the earth's population growth. His reasoning was based on the contrast between agricultural performance and the abrupt population growth at the time. Based on the (empirical) experience of countless famines in Europe during the 19th century, Malthus' hypothesis was regarded as correct. Over the course of the 20th century, however, the null hypothesis was refuted.