Final answer:
The correct answer is 'b.false'. A hypothesis is tentative and testable, rather than being the strongest statement in science. Theories and laws represent more substantiated scientific statements.
Step-by-step explanation:
A hypothesis is not the strongest statement that scientists make, making the correct answer to this question 'b.false'. A hypothesis is a tentative explanation that is proposed based on observations and existing knowledge. It is testable through experimentation or further observation, which allows scientists to collect evidence that either supports or refutes it. Unlike hypotheses, scientific theories and laws represent stronger, more substantiated forms of scientific understanding that arise after repeated validation of associated hypotheses.
For example, a hypothesis might predict that a particular medication will reduce symptoms of a disease. Researchers would then conduct experiments to test this hypothesis. If the experiments repeatedly confirm the predictions, and after peer review and further validation in different contexts, the hypothesis can contribute to the development of a scientific theory, which is a more comprehensive explanation. A scientific law, on the other hand, is often a concise description, frequently in mathematical form, of a consistently observed phenomenon.