Prediction
From RationalWiki
Prediction in an informal sense means something like "guess" or "idea".
In a scientific sense prediction refers to the ability of an hypothesis to make an accurate forecast about what will happen under specific conditions.
In order to test an hypothesis a scientist will make a prediction based on the hypothesis.
If the result of the experiment is in accordance with the hypothesis' predictions then the hypothesis has not been disproved. (It has not been proved either.)
The scientific method is built upon repeated iterations of this process.
Hypotheses which are not able to make such testable predictions are frequently pseudoscience.
Scientific prediction is not the same as alleged precognition.
