Types of Variables

An investigation is conducted to find if different tire treads affect the braking distance of a car.

What is the INDEPENDENT variable?

(Hint: What is changed?)

• Tire tread

• Car

• Braking distance

• Duck sauce

An experiment is conducted to see if the height of bean plants depends on the amount of water they receive.

What is the INDEPENDENT variable?

• Height of plants

• Condition of soil

• Salt or fresh water

• Amount of water

Mary conducts an experiment to see if setting the temperature in her oven higher will affect how fast her cake bakes.

What is the INDEPENDENT variable?

• Time to bake a cake

• Type of cake

• Place in the oven

• Temperature of the oven

Some LEE students went to Lake Manatee and measured the temperature of the water at different depths to see if the temperature changed.

What is the INDEPENDENT variable?

• Lake location

• Depth of the measurement

• Temperature of the water

• Measuring device

After years of experimenting, a horticulturist concluded that the lemon trees receiving the most water produced the most lemons.

What was the DEPENDENT variable?

(Hint: What is measured?)

• Amount of lemons produced

• Amount of water

• Type of water (salt or fresh)

• Type of citrus

A student wanted to test how the mass of a paper airplane affected the distance it would fly. Paper clips were added before each test flight. As each paper clip was added, the plane was tested to determine how far it would fly.

What was the INDEPENDENT variable?

• Mass of plane

• Type of plane

• Distance it flew

• the color of the paper

Two groups of students were tested to compare the the time taken to complete 10 math problems. Each group was given the same problems. One group used calculators and the other group computed without calculators.

What is the DEPENDENT variable?

• use of calculator

• time taken to complete the 10 problems

• intelligence of student

• the number of problems

Students of different ages were given the same puzzle to assemble. The time it took to complete the puzzle was measured.

What is the INDEPENDENT variable?

• Size of the puzzle

• Gender of students

• Age of the students

• Time taken to complete puzzle

An experiment is performed on plants to see how different liquids affect plant growth.

In this investigation, what is the INDEPENDENT variable?

• The type of plant

• The amount of sunlight

• The type of music

• The type of liquid

Each plant in an experiment is given a different liquid: water, apple juice, or milk.

Each plant also receives the same amount of soil, sunlight, and fertilizer.

What are the controlled variables?

• Type of plant, amount of fertilizer, and sunlight

• Water, apple juice, milk

• Plant growth, type of liquid