Independent vs Dependent Variables Quiz

Marbella, a young scientist, is curious about how different amounts of sunlight affect the growth of her garden plants. She sets up three groups of plants: one group in full sunlight (taken care by JayDyn), one in partial sunlight (monitored by DJ), and one in shade (looked after by Cody and Courtney). Identify the independent variable in Marbella's experiment.

• Water temperature given to the plants

• Number of plants in each group

• Amount of sunlight

• Type of soil

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

Ziqi is conducting a study on the effect of temperature on the rate of chemical reactions. She is using different temperatures to see how it affects the speed of a specific reaction. In this scenario, what is the dependent variable?

• Rate of chemical reactions

• Color of the chemicals Ziqi is using

• Volume of the chemicals Ziqi is using

• Temperature Ziqi is setting

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

Imagine Ziqi, Courtney, and Marbella are part of a music band and they are interested to see how different genres of music they perform can influence their fans' heart rate during a live concert. What would be the independent variable in their interesting experiment?

• The time of their concert

• The genre of music they perform

• The age of their fans

• The volume of their music

Picture this, DJ and Cody are having a friendly discussion. DJ believes that drinking water before a meal influences the amount of food a person consumes. Cody, however, isn't so convinced. Ziqi, being the researcher she is, decides to conduct an experiment to resolve the discussion. In this scenario, what would be the dependent variable?

• Amount of food a person eats

• Time of day the meal is eaten

• Color of the drinking water

• Type of food being eaten

Courtney, Cody, and Marbella are planning a project for their gym class. They want to design an experiment to identify the variables in a study to determine the effect of different types of exercise on heart rate. Can you help them?

• The variables are the room temperature and the heart rate.

• The variables are the type of shoes Cody wears and the heart rate.

• The variables are the time of day when Marbella exercises and the heart rate.

• The variables are the amount of exercise Courtney does and the heart rate.

Imagine JayDyn, DJ, and Cody are part of a basketball team. They are curious about the effect of practice time on their game performance. Can you help them design an experiment to identify the variables in this study?

• Game performance is the independent variable and practice time is the dependent variable.

• Practice time is the independent variable and game performance is the dependent variable.

• No need to identify variables in this study.

• The type of basketball used is the independent variable and the color of the court is the dependent variable.

Marbella, Ziqi, and Caylie are conducting experiments for their school science fair. Can you help them identify the independent and dependent variables and explain their relationship in each of their experiments?

• Marbella's experiment: The independent variable is the amount of water she gives to her plants, the dependent variable is the growth of her plants.

• Ziqi's experiment: The independent variable is the number of hours he practices piano, the dependent variable is his performance score.

• Caylie's experiment: The independent variable is the amount of sunlight his solar panel receives, the dependent variable is the amount of electricity it generates.

• Group experiment: The independent variable is the type of music they play, the dependent variable is the concentration level of the students studying.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

JayDyn, Ziqi, and Marbella are having a friendly debate about independent and dependent variables. Can you help them understand a situation where these variables are important and explain their connection?

• JayDyn suggests a study on sleep and mood, where the independent variable is the mood, and the dependent variable is the sleep. He believes the mood affects the sleep.

• Ziqi thinks about a study on studying and exam scores, where the independent variable is the exam scores, and the dependent variable is the studying. She argues that the exam scores affect the studying.

• Marbella brings up a study on exercise and weight loss, where the independent variable is the exercise, and the dependent variable is the weight loss. She insists that the exercise affects the weight loss.

• Courtney and DJ also consider a study on temperature and ice cream sales, where the independent variable is the ice cream sales, and the dependent variable is the temperature. They wonder if the ice cream sales affect the temperature.

Aiden injects one chicken with a growth hormone while another chicken is not injected. Both chickens are weighed after a year. 

What is the independent variable?

• chickens

• growth hormone vs. no growth hormone

• weight of chicken

• all of the above