Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi,
I am trying to figure out my hypothesis.

If I apply essential oil on bacteria then the bacteria will die.

Is this a valid hypothesis? I really am trying to figure out if I can use essential oil as a disinfectant. For instance, can I use essential oil on my hands after I use a cart at the store? Or should my hypothesis go like:
'If I apply essential oil on bacteria, the bacteria will die and then I can use it as a disinfectant.'

I'm struggling.

Hi,

It seems to me like you have a good clear hypothesis with your "If I apply essential oil on bacteria, then the bacteria will die" statement. Your second option is not as good because you actually have two different things that would need to be tested 1) If I apply essential oil on bacteria, the bacteria will die and 2) I can use essential oils as a disinfectant.

Now that you have a good hypothesis, can you start planning some experiments on how you can test it? Eventually as you come up with an experiment, you'll probably also narrow your hypothesis down too. For example, bacteria is a very broad group, so you'll need to narrow it down to testing on a specific kind or a couple of specific kinds of bacteria. The same is probably true for essential oils, where you won't be able to test EVERY essential oil, so be prepared to get more specific, but I think you have a good starting point.

I hope this helps!
JMP