Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
U.S. Population
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
A
Time [decades] since 1800
U.S. Population
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
B
U.S. Population [millions]
FIGURE 1-2.
Comparison of rate of change versus time to rate of change versus population size. Panel A:
Population rate of change versus time; panel B: Population rate of change versus population size.
we on to something important? Observing the data prompts us to make
the following conjecture:
There is a linear dependence between the rate of change in population size and
the population size itself.
We now have a hypothesis. How should we proceed in order to
corroborate or reject it? In general, the process involves the following
major components, presented here in their natural order:
1. Solicit expert opinion. In this case, discuss the conjecture with pop-
ulation biologists. If they cannot dismiss the hypothesis right away
by providing examples that clearly contradict it, it merits further
investigation.
