Independent or Dependent Variables

In an experiment, the variable that isn't changed by other variables is the

• dependent variable

• independent variable

A student is conducting an experiment to see if the height in which a ball is dropped will effect how high the ball bounces. Which is the dependent variable?

• the height from which the ball is dropped

• how high the ball bounces

A student uses 3 identical flowers but exposes them to different amounts of sunlight to see if the amount of sunlight effects their growth. Which is the independent variable?

• the amount of sunlight

• thew amount of growth

A student is researching how fast does a candle burns. Which would be the dependent variable?

• amount of time candle burns

• height of the candle

A scientist studies how many days people can eat soup until they get sick. Which is the dependent variable?

• the number of days of consuming soup

• the onset of sickness

In a psychology experiment, researchers want to discover if listening to classical music helps students earn better grades on a math exam. The independent variable would be:

• the scores on the math exams

• the classical music

Researchers are interested in seeing how long it takes people to respond to different sounds. The dependent variable is:

• the length of time it takes participants to respond to a sound

• the sounds

Researchers want to know whether first-born children learn to speak at a younger age than second-born children. The independent variable in this experiment would be:

• whether the child is first- or second-born

• the age at which the child learns to speak

A dependent variable is something that depends on other factors.

• True

• False

Researchers are interested in looking at how alcohol use influences reaction times while driving. The dependent variable is:

• The amount of alcohol a participant ingests

• their performance on the driving test