EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Ms. S 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.

Detailed explanation-2: -The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured or tested in an experiment. 1 For example, in a study looking at how tutoring impacts test scores, the dependent variable would be the participants’ test scores since that is what is being measured.

Detailed explanation-3: -In an experiment, the independent variable is the variable that is varied or manipulated by the researcher. The dependent variable is the response that is measured. One way to think about it is that the dependent variable depends on the change in the independent variable.

Detailed explanation-4: -Example: You are interested in how stress affects heart rate in humans. Your independent variable would be the stress and the dependent variable would be the heart rate.

Detailed explanation-5: -The independent variable is the condition that is changed to test the hypothesis while the dependent variable is the that is measured as the result of the changes in the dependent variable.