Final answer:
In the conditional statement 'If an animal is a dolphin, then it is a mammal,' the hypothesis is 'an animal is a dolphin' and the conclusion is 'it is a mammal.'
Step-by-step explanation:
To identify the hypothesis and conclusion of the conditional statement "If an animal is a dolphin, then it is a mammal," we need to break down the statement into its components. In a conditional statement, also known as an 'if-then' statement, the hypothesis is the part that follows 'if' and the conclusion is the part that follows 'then.' Therefore, in this statement, the hypothesis is "an animal is a dolphin" and the conclusion is "it is a mammal." Testing hypotheses often involves formulating conditionals to make predictions and observing whether evidence supports these predictions. It is important to note that while a hypothesis can be supported by evidence, it can never be conclusively proven to be true as future evidence may disprove it.