In physics and mathematics, an ansatz (/ ˈ æ n s æ t s / ; German: [ˈʔanzats] , meaning: "initial placement of a tool at a work piece", plural ansatzes or, from German, ansätze / ˈ æ n s ɛ t s ə / ; German: [ˈʔanzɛtsə] ) is an educated guess or an additional assumption made to help solve a problem, and which may later be verified to be part of the solution by its results.