Independent and Dependent

The one factor that a scientist changes during an experiment. (It affects the results of the experiment).

• Controlled Variable

• Dependent Variable

• Independent Variable

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

Angelina set up an experiment to see how the mass of a ball affects the distance it rolls off a ramp. Identify the independent variable.

• Distance traveled by the ball

• Height of the ramp

• Mass of the ball

• Who set up the experiment (Ms. S, etc)

The dependent variable is responsive to the independent variable.

• True

• False

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

The one factor that a scientist changes during an experiment.

• Controlled Variable

• Dependent Variable

• Independent Variable

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

What is the DEPENDENT variable (effect) in this experiment?

"Does eating breakfast improve test scores?"

• eating breakfast or not

• the grade you got on the test

• what time you get up in the morning

• how tasty the breakfast is

Heidi is a chocolate lover and eats chocolate daily. She has a bad break-out and her friend told her eating chocolate causes pimples. Heidi continues to eat chocolate every day for 2 weeks and counts the number of pimples she has on her face. The following 2 weeks she doesn’t eat any chocolate and counts the number of pimples on her face.

What is the Independent Variable?

• 2 weeks NOT eating chocolate

• 2 weeks eating chocolate

• Number of pimples

• How much sleep Heidi gets.

Heidi is a chocolate lover and eats chocolate daily. She has a bad break-out and her friend told her eating chocolate causes pimples. Heidi continues to eat chocolate every day for 2 weeks and counts the number of pimples she has on her face. The following 2 weeks she doesn’t eat any chocolate and counts the number of pimples on her face. What is the Independent Variable?

• 2 weeks NOT eating chocolate

• 2 weeks eating chocolate

• Number of pimples

• How much sleep Heidi gets.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

Mark notices he has dropped calls on his cell phone when he walks into his bedroom. His friend told him to try and wrap aluminum foil around his phone to get better signal. Mark talks on the phone 3 times while walking into his bedroom and drops 2 of the 3 calls. He wraps his phone in aluminum foil and talks on the phone 3 more times while walking into his bedroom. With the aluminum foil on his phone he only drops 1 phone call.

• Number of dropped calls

• Independant Variable

• 3 calls made without aluminum foil.

• Dependent Variable

• Wrapping the phones in foil

• Control

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-2

NGSS.MS-ETS1-3

Why is it important to have only one independent variable and to control the other variables when performing science experiments?

• So you can tell which factor is causing the change in the experiment.

• It does not matter, you can have as many independent variables as you want.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

Changes in the _________ variable causes changes in the _________ variable.

• independent; dependent

• dependent; independent

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

NGSS.MS-PS3-4