When a person stands trial for murder, the jury is instructed to assume that the defendant is innocent. Is this claim of innocence an example of a null hypothesis, or is it an example of an alternative hypothesis?

Answer: It is a null hypothesis, since it is assumed to be true until evidence can prove otherwise

Explanation:

According to the law, a subject remains innocent until it is proved guilty. The null hypothesis is someone is innocent, the alternative hypothesis is someone is proved guilty.