Variables

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What is a variable?

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A variable is a factor or condition that can change in an experiment.

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What is an independent variable?

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The independent variable is the one that you change or control in an experiment to test its effects.

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What is a dependent variable?

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The dependent variable is what you measure in the experiment and what is affected during the experiment.

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What is a controlled variable?

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A controlled variable is a factor that is kept constant to ensure that the experiment is fair.

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What is a hypothesis?

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A hypothesis is an educated guess about what you think will happen in an experiment.

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In an experiment, what does the independent variable affect?

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The independent variable affects the dependent variable.

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What is the purpose of a scientific investigation?

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The purpose is to answer a question or test a hypothesis through experimentation.

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What is an example of an independent variable?

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In an experiment testing how sunlight affects plant growth, the amount of sunlight is the independent variable.

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What is an example of a dependent variable?

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In the same plant growth experiment, the height of the plants is the dependent variable.

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Why are controlled variables important?

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Controlled variables are important because they help ensure that the results of an experiment are due to the independent variable only.