Independent and Dependent Variables in Science

The independent variable is the ONE thing you _____ to test your hypothesis.

• change
• keep the same
• experiment with
• investigate

The variable that is measured throughout the experiment is the ________________
Hint: It may change as a result of your testing.

• Controlled Variable
• Responsive Variable
• Dependent Variable
• Independent Variable

Catherine is testing which soil will help grass grow the tallest.  The height of the grown grass is the __ variable.

• constant (stays the same)
• independent (it's what you change)
• dependent (it's what you measure)

What would the INDEPENDENT variable be in an experiment testing which  paper airplane design goes furthest?

• the paper used
• the paper airplane design
• the distance of each plane's flight
• how hard the plane is thrown

When experimenting with plants to see if they grow better with or without fertilizer, a scientist uses six bean plants and one type of fertilizer. What type of variable is the fertilizer?

• Dependent
• Independent
• Control
• Compound

An experiment is performed on plants to see how different liquids affect plant growth. Each plant in the experiment is given a different liquid; water, apple juice, or milk.  In this investigation, the independent variable is ...

• The type of plant
• The amount of sunlight
• The type of music
• The type of liquid

Mrs. Ahlers 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
• Where the experiment took place.

Jonathan set up the same 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 (Jonathan etc)

Daniel was investigating how fast it took mice to react to different sounds. Identify the independent variable.

• How fast mice reacted
• different sounds
• types of music
• Daniel

Students took a test after they had studied either in silence or with the television turned on. What is the dependent variable?

• silence
• television turned on
• score on test
• subject