--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are two possible outcomes: if the…" description: "\"There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/enrico-fermi-22764_discovery_there-are-two-possible-outcomes-if-the-r_133116.jpg" --- # There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms… ![“There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery.” quote by Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/enrico-fermi-22764_discovery_there-are-two-possible-outcomes-if-the-r_133116.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/enrico-fermi-22764_discovery_there-are-two-possible-outcomes-if-the-r_133116.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/enrico-fermi-22764_discovery_there-are-two-possible-outcomes-if-the-r_133116.jpg) > “There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery.” [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A confirmed hypothesis yields a measurement; a contradictory result yields a discovery, highlighting the value of unexpected data. **In simple terms:** Confirmations give data; contradictions give new insight. Key Takeaway Embrace unexpected results. Themes science methodology discovery Mood inquisitive analytical Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - laboratory experiments - field studies - data analysis - peer review Key Concepts hypothesis testing empirical research Questions to Reflect On - How do you react to data that disproves your expectations? - What steps turn a surprise into a breakthrough? A Different Perspective Unexpected findings can be hard to publish. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confirms Hypothesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confirms-hypothesis-1520804/) [Contrary Hypothesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary-hypothesis-1520805/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Hypothesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypothesis/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Measurement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/measurement/) [Measurement Result](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/measurement-result-1520806/) [Outcomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outcomes/) [Possible Outcomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possible-outcomes-858710/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) ## Related quotes > [There's two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/there-s-two-possible-outcomes-if-the-result-confirms-the-hypothesis/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [“This – some say – confirms the hypothesis that each man bears in his mind a city made only of differences, a city without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/this-some-say-confirms-the-hypothesis-that-each-man-bears-in-his-mind/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [Given our inevitably incomplete knowledge about key structural aspects of an everchanging economy and the sometimes asymmetric costs or benefits of particular outcomes, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/given-our-inevitably-incomplete-knowledge-about-key-structural-2/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“But just take the jurists' side for a moment: why, in fact, should a trial be supposed to have two possible outcomes when our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/but-just-take-the-jurists-side-for-a-moment-why-in-fact-should-a/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“This day would bring only one of two possible outcomes: liberty or death. I faced both with a smile on my face. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/this-day-would-bring-only-one-of-two-possible-outcomes-liberty-or/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [“He was doing quite well until the last sentence, but if you bare your arse to a vengeful unicorn, the number of possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/he-was-doing-quite-well-until-the-last-sentence-but-if-you-bare-your/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [The nice thing about baseball is that all of the possible outcomes are known - it's not quite as messy as the real world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-depodesta/the-nice-thing-about-baseball-is-that-all-of-the-possible-outcomes/) [Paul DePodesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-depodesta/) > [“The way I see it, there are only two possible outcomes. Either I make it down there in one piece and I have one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfonso-cuaron/the-way-i-see-it-there-are-only-two-possible-outcomes-either-i-make/) [Alfonso Cuaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfonso-cuaron/) > [Measurement has too often been the leitmotif of many investigations rather than the experimental examination of hypotheses. Mounds of data are collected, which are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-pellegrino/measurement-has-too-often-been-the-leitmotif-of-many-investigations/) [Edmund Pellegrino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-pellegrino/) > [Successful businesses measure and count things. I think that's a safe assumption on top of which we can drop the following hypothesis: unsuccessful business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-costolo/successful-businesses-measure-and-count-things-i-think-that-s-a-safe/) [Dick Costolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-costolo/) > [Experimental confirmation of a prediction is merely a measurement. An experiment disproving a prediction is a discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/experimental-confirmation-of-a-prediction-is-merely-a-measurement-an/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [All 50 states had the same national economy. And on virtually any measurement you wish to look at, Michigan has moved up and improved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-engler/all-50-states-had-the-same-national-economy-and-on-virtually-any/) [John Engler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-engler/) > [“Each of us has our own unit of measurement, our own relativity. Spaces between loves. Spaces between destinations. Spaces between deaths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/each-of-us-has-our-own-unit-of-measurement-our-own-relativity-spaces/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Golf is not, on the whole, a game for realists. By its exactitudes of measurements it invites the attention of perfectionists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heywood-hale-broun/golf-is-not-on-the-whole-a-game-for-realists-by-its-exactitudes-of/) [Heywood Hale Broun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heywood-hale-broun/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) ## More by Enrico Fermi > [I remember my friend Johnny von Neumann used to say, 'with four parameters I can fit an elephant and with five I can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/i-remember-my-friend-johnny-von-neumann-used-to-say-with-four/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [Whatever Nature has in store for mankind, unpleasant as it may be, men must accept, for ignorance is never better than knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/whatever-nature-has-in-store-for-mankind-unpleasant-as-it-may-be-men/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [ \[on what characteristics Nobel prize winning physicists had in common\] I cannot think of a single one, not even intelligence. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/on-what-characteristics-nobel-prize-winning-physicists-had-in-common/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [I hope it won't take long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/i-hope-it-won-t-take-long/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [It is no good to try to stop knowledge from going forward. Ignorance is never better than knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/it-is-no-good-to-try-to-stop-knowledge-from-going-forward-ignorance/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [“The fact that no limits exist to the destructiveness of this weapon makes its very existence and the knowledge of its construction a danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/the-fact-that-no-limits-exist-to-the-destructiveness-of-this-weapon/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [An experiment disproving a prediction is discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/an-experiment-disproving-a-prediction-is-discovery/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [Some people stick with the traditional, feeling struck by the epic beauty or blown away by the insane scale of the universe. Personally, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/some-people-stick-with-the-traditional-feeling-struck-by-the-epic/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [Where is everybody? Humans could theoretically colonize the galaxy in a million years or so, and if they could, astronauts from older civilizations could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/where-is-everybody-humans-could-theoretically-colonize-the-galaxy-in/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [Before I came here I was confused about this subject. Having listened to your lecture I am still confused. But on a higher level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/before-i-came-here-i-was-confused-about-this-subject-having-listened/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [Experimental confirmation of a prediction is merely a measurement. An experiment disproving a prediction is a discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/experimental-confirmation-of-a-prediction-is-merely-a-measurement-an/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [Although the problem of transmuting chemical elements into each other is much older than a satisfactory definition of the very concept of chemical element,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/although-the-problem-of-transmuting-chemical-elements-into-each-other/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [Ignorance is never better than knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/ignorance-is-never-better-than-knowledge/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [The fundamental point in fabricating a chain reacting machine is of course to see to it that each fission produces a certain number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/the-fundamental-point-in-fabricating-a-chain-reacting-machine-is-of/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [There's two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/there-s-two-possible-outcomes-if-the-result-confirms-the-hypothesis/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) [Explore all 27 Enrico Fermi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) ## More Discovery quotes > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Throughout my work, I have assumed that the standard model is correct, and hence, the Higgs boson should be found. 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Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The discovery that heartbreak is indeed heartbreaking consoles us about our humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-discovery-that-heartbreak-is-indeed-heartbreaking-consoles-us/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [ That has been another interesting discovery: that basically a city \[Lagos\] could recover from a really deep, deep, deep pit. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/that-has-been-another-interesting-discovery-that-basically-a-city/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Every fact of science was once Damned. Every invention was considered impossible. Every discovery was a nervous shock to some orthodoxy. Every artistic innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/every-fact-of-science-was-once-damned-every-invention-was-considered/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [When we look at the love of Christ, we make a wonderful discovery. Love is more a decision than an emotion! Christ-like love applauds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/when-we-look-at-the-love-of-christ-we-make-a-wonderful-discovery-love/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/) > [The European talks of progress because by the aid of a few scientific discoveries he has established a society which has mistaken comfort for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-european-talks-of-progress-because-by-the-aid-of-a-few-scientific/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) [Browse all 3,125 Discovery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. 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