Identifying Variables

What is an independent variable?

• The factor you are testing with your experiment

• The factor you will measure in your experiment

• Factors that are kept the same in an experiment

• The factor that changes throughout the experiment.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

Factors that must be kept the same in an experiment are called

• Constants
• Independent variables

• Dependent variables

• Observations

Dory set up an experiment to see how the mass of a ball affects the distance it rolls off a ramp. What is the dependent variable?

• distance traveled by the ball
• height of the ramp
• mass of the ball
• ball type

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

A scientist believes that the temperature at which an alligator's egg is incubated will determine whether it will be male or female. The independent variable is

• the male alligators
• the incubator
• the gender of the alligator
• the temperature

Students participated in an experiment to investigate whether playing music while they took a test affected their scores. The students' test scores are the ____________________ in this experiment.

• Independent variable
• Dependent variable
• Constants

• Hypothesis

What is the dependent variable in the following experiment? "Does eating breakfast improve students' test scores?" 

• eating breakfast or not
• the grades on the test

• what time you get up in the morning
• how tasty the breakfast is

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

What is the independent variable in the following experiment?  "Which type of medium is best for plant growth?" 

• height of plant (cm)
• type of medium (soil vs. sand)
• amount of medium
• types of plant

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

In an experiment, the independent variable is the factor

• being tested

• being measured in the end

• being kept the same

• that changes throughout the experiment

In an experiment, the dependent variable is the factor

• being tested.

• being measured in the end.

• being kept the same.

• that the tester sets up differently to see how it affects something else.

How many independent variables can be tested in an experiment?

• one

• two

• three

• as many as you want

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2