What is a dependent variable in an experiment?

What is a dependent variable in an experiment?

The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured or tested in an experiment. For example, in a study looking at how tutoring impacts test scores, the dependent variable would be the participants’ test scores, since that is what is being measured.

Is weight a dependent or independent variable?

The variable you’re most interested in is known as the dependent variable, because it might be dependent on, or affected by, something else that you’ve measured, which is therefore an independent variable. For example people’s weight (dependent variable) might depend on their height (independent variable).

How do you find the independent variable?

This makes it easy for you to quickly see which variable is independent and which is dependent when looking at a graph or chart. The independent variable always goes on the x-axis, or the horizontal axis. The dependent variable goes on the y-axis, or vertical axis.

Is temperature an independent variable?

An independent variable is one that is unaffected by changes in the dependent variable. For example when examining the influence of temperature on photosynthesis, temperature is the independent variable because it does not dependent upon photosynthetic rate.

What is the independent variable in a lab?

The independent variable is the factor changed by the person doing the experiment. This is the one you manipulate or vary during the experiment. The dependent variable changes in response to the independent variable. It is the one that is measured by you during the process of the experiment.

How do you identify a controlled variable?

Essentially, a control variable is what is kept the same throughout the experiment, and it is not of primary concern in the experimental outcome. Any change in a control variable in an experiment would invalidate the correlation of dependent variables (DV) to the independent variable (IV), thus skewing the results.

Is rain an independent variable?

For example, you could compare results of a commercial and a homemade rain gauge/barometer. The type of rain barometer/barometer used would be the independent variable. This type of experiment would give you quantitative results. These suggestions should help you think of other weather experiments you can do.

Is pressure an independent variable?

Explanation: If you manipulated (changed) the pressure and measured the volume as a result, the pressure would be the independent variable and the volume would be the dependent variable because the volume was dependent on the pressure.

Is speed a dependent variable?

Independent variables are variables whose variations do not depend on another variable. In this case, the non-variable is the distance covered, the independent variable is the speed while the dependent variable is the time which changes with respect to the change in the speed of the vehicle.

Where does the independent variable go on a graph?

The Axes. The independent variable belongs on the x-axis (horizontal line) of the graph and the dependent variable belongs on the y-axis (vertical line).

How do you identify independent dependent and extraneous variables?

An independent variable is a variable believed to affect the dependent variable. Confounding variables are defined as interference caused by another variable. Extraneous variables are defined as any variable other than the independent and dependent variable.

Can age be an independent variable?

It is a variable that stands alone and isn’t changed by the other variables you are trying to measure. For example, someone’s age might be an independent variable. Other factors (such as what they eat, how much they go to school, how much television they watch) aren’t going to change a person’s age.

Is food an independent variable?

The amount of food depends on the day, so it is the dependent variable. Temperature is the independent variable or the one you control. Your heart rate is the dependent variable, which you measure in response to a change in temperature.

Is time always the independent variable?

If time is one of your variables, it is the independent variable. Time is always the independent variable. The other variable is the dependent variable (in our example: time is the independent variable and distance is the dependent variable).

Is water a dependent variable?

The dependent variable is usually what scientists measure in an experiment. In this case, the amount of water is the independent variable because that is what you’re changing in the experiment: one seed gets a lot of water and the other seed only gets a little water.

How do you control participant variables?


What is the Independent in an experiment?

Variables are given a special name that only applies to experimental investigations. One is called the dependent variable and the other the independent variable. The independent variable is the variable the experimenter manipulates or changes, and is assumed to have a direct effect on the dependent variable.

Is sunlight a dependent variable?

Plant height is the dependent variable that responds to the change in the independent variable. Each plant is exposed to an equal amount of sunlight, so sunlight is the control variable. They are also grown in the same sized pot and given an equal amount of water.

How do you describe the independent variable?

An independent variable is defines as the variable that is changed or controlled in a scientific experiment. Independent variables are the variables that the experimenter changes to test their dependent variable. A change in the independent variable directly causes a change in the dependent variable.

Is gender a participant variable?

Participant variables: Participant variables can be defined as the differing individual characteristics that may impact how a participant responds in an experiment. Examples of participant variables include gender, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, literacy status, mood, clinical diagnosis etc.

What are levels of an independent variable?

If an experiment compares an experimental treatment with a control treatment, then the independent variable (type of treatment) has two levels: experimental and control. If an experiment were comparing five types of diets, then the independent variable (type of diet) would have 5 levels.

What is necessary to have a good experiment?

Four basic components that affect the validity of an experiment are the control, independent and dependent variables, and constants. These basic requirements need to be present and identified to consider an experiment valid.

Is height a dependent or independent variable?

the average height of adults might give you a graph as shown below. The independent variable is average height. The dependent variable is weight. For example, height might be an independent variable in the context stated above but a dependent variable in a study on the effect of nutrition on growth rates.

Why is time a independent variable?

Independent variables are predetermined by the experimenter and can be manipulated to change the measured dependent variable. Independent variables are generally graphed on the x-axis, while dependent variables are generally graphed on the y-axis. This defines time as the independent variable.