A hypothesis is a possible explanation for observed data or a process that could have produced it. Inductive inference keeps every hypothesis logically compatible with the evidence; Occam’s razor favors the simplest among them. These are complementary constraints: compatibility alone does not establish plausibility, while simplicity alone does not justify discarding alternatives. section 9.1.2
Cookies and number sequences
A chair moved beside an empty cookie jar fits both a child reaching for cookies and a burglar stealing them; the burglar cannot be ruled out on logic alone. Likewise, 1, 3, 5, 7 fits the simple prediction 9 as well as more complicated alternatives, but simplicity makes 9 preferable. section 9.1.2
