Identifying Independent and Dependent Variables

Scenario 1: A cow is given a growth hormone and then compared to another cow that was not given a growth hormone. Both cows were weighed at 2 years. What is the independent variable?

• Whether the cow was given a growth hormone or not

• The weight of the cow at 2 years

• The breed of the cow

• The age at which the cows were weighed

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

Scenario 1: A cow is given a growth hormone and then compared to another cow that was not given a growth hormone. Both cows were weighed at 2 years. What is the dependent variable?

• The weight of the cows at 2 years

• The breed of the cows

• The amount of food given to the cows

• The age at which the cows were born

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

What is the independent variable?

• Whether mosquito repellent was sprayed or not

• Number of mosquitoes present

• Amount of water in the area

• Temperature of the environment

Scenario 2: Mosquito repellent is sprayed on one arm and the other arm is not sprayed. The number of mosquito bites is counted after 2 hours. What is the dependent variable?

• The number of mosquito bites after 2 hours

• The type of mosquito repellent used

• The time of day the experiment is conducted

• The arm that is sprayed with repellent

Scenario 3: One grape is placed in tap water and another grape is placed in salt water. The change in their mass is measured after a day. What is the independent variable?

• The type of water (tap water or salt water) the grape is placed in

• The mass of the grapes after a day

• The temperature of the water

• The amount of sunlight the grapes receive

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

Scenario 3: One grape is placed in tap water and another grape is placed in salt water. The change in their mass is measured after a day. What is the dependent variable?

• The change in mass of the grapes after a day

• The type of water used

• The initial mass of the grapes

• The temperature of the water

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

Scenario 4: Two different cars are traveling at 60 mph. At a certain point, both cars slam on the brakes. The distance it takes for each car to stop is then measured. What is the independent variable?

• The type of car

• The distance it takes to stop

• The speed after braking

• The time of day

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-1

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

What is the dependent variable?

• The distance it takes for each car to stop

• The type of car

• The color of the car

• The speed limit of the road

Tags

NGSS.K-PS2-1

NGSS.K-PS2-2

Scenario 5: Pillbugs are placed in a container where they have a choice of a wet or a dry environment. Researchers record how much time was spent on each side. What is the independent variable?

• The type of environment (wet or dry)

• The number of pillbugs in the container

• The amount of time spent on each side

• The temperature of the environment

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Scenario 5: Pillbugs are placed in a container where they have a choice of a wet or a dry environment. Researchers record how much time was spent on each side. What is the dependent variable?

• The amount of time spent on each side

• The type of pillbug used

• The temperature of the environment

• The size of the container