Independent and Dependent Variables

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Science Variables





How are the independent and dependent variables different?

This video reviews each of the following examples.



An Independent variable ( also called the manipulated variable) has the ability to stand alone. It is not changed by the other variables. It is the variable you are changing or manipulating.

The Dependent variables ( also called the responding variables) depends on the other variables.It is the variable you are measuring.

Let’s look at some examples,



It is summertime. You would like to know if the color of the car impacts the inside temperature of a car. You find four cars of different colors and park them outside.
You measure the inside temperature every 30 minutes for two hours.

The color of the cars is your independent variable. It is the item you are changing or manipulating. It will not change based on the outside temperature. You are changing this variable by choosing four colors.

The change in the temperature inside your car  is your dependent variable. It may vary according to the car’s color. You will be measuring this variable by taking the temperature inside the car.
science variables
Does the height of a tree depends on the amount of water it receives?

The amount of water the tree receives is the independent variable and the height of the tree is the dependent variable because it depends on the amount of water it receives and you are measuring the height of the tree. The dependent variable is what you are measuring?

Does eating five servings of bananas a week, reduced the blood pressure of male patients?
The number of bananas the men eat each week is your independent variable, and the blood pressure is the dependent variable.

When graphing the independent and dependent variables you can remember which axis they go on by using DRY MIX

graph science variables
D = dependent
R= Responding
Y = y axis

M = Manipulated
I = Independent  
X = x axis

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