The 

dependent variable is the variable that is being measured or tested in an experiment.

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.
Two examples of common independent variables are age and time. ... They're independent of
everything else. The dependent variable (sometimes known as the responding variable) is what is
being studied and measured in the experiment.
There are three main types of variables in a scientific experiment: independent variables, which can
be controlled or manipulated; dependent variables, which (we hope) are affected by our changes to
the independent variables; and control variables, which must be held constant to ensure that we
know that it's our ..
Time as an Example of an Independent Variable

Question Independent Dependent Variables (What I observe)

Variable (What I
change)

Height of candle, measured in centimeters,

How fast does a Time measured, in
at regular intervals of time (for example,
candle burn? minutes
every 5 minutes)
Is gender a dependent variable?
An independent variable is used in statistics to predict or explain a dependent variable. For
example, Age and Gender might be used as independent variables to predict the age of
death or life expectancy (dependent variables). ... Dependent Variable- 
1. The independent variable is the ONE thing you _?_.
a) change
b) keep the same
c) experiment with
d) investigate
2. The variable that you measure is the _?_.
a) Independent Variable
b) Dependent Variable
c) Controlled Variable
d) Repeated Trial
3. How many independent variables can be tested in a controlled experiment?
a) one
b) two
c) three
d) as many as possible
4. What is a hypothesis?
a) A hypothesis is the right answer to an experiment.
b) A hypothesis is the wrong answer to an experiment.
c) A hypothesis is an educated guess that is testable.
5. 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.
Each plant has the same amount of soil, same amount of sunlight, and the same
amount of liquid. In this investigation, what is the independent variable?
a) type of plant
b) different liquids
c) plant growth
d) amount of sunlight
6. Mr. S set up an experiment to see how the mass of a ball affects the distance it rolls
off a ramp. Identify the dependent variable.
a) distance traveled by the ball
b) height of the ramp
c) mass of the ball
7. Mr. S normally uses praise as a reward to train his dog. He wants to know the best
way to train his dog, so he sets up an experiment to find out if there is a better way to
get his dog to respond to commands. What is his dependent variable?
a) type of reward
b) praise
c) type of dog
d) amount of time the dog follows commands
8. Mr. S normally uses praise as a reward to train his dog. He wants to know the best
way to train his dog, so he sets up an experiment to find out if there is a better way to
get his dog to respond to commands. What is his control variable?
a) type of reward
b) praise
c) walking
d) amount of time the dog follows commands
9. 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.
Each plant has the same amount of soil, same amount of sunlight, and the same
amount of liquid. In this investigation, the dependent variable is ...
a) the type of plant
b) the amount of sunlight
c) growth of the plant
d) the type of liquid
10. A student is planning an experiment to find out how the height from which he drops a
ball affects how high the ball bounces. What is the control variable?
a) the ball used
b) the height the ball bounces
c) height of the ball being dropped
11. Jessie is concerned about how tired his classmates seem. He created a drink that he
thinks will boost their energy. He recruits 100 classmates with a history of tiredness.
He has 50 of them drink his new special energy drink. The other 50 drink a beverage
that looks like the special energy drink, but is just water and food coloring. Both
groups were told that they were getting the special drink that would boost energy.
After 2 hours, 30 classmates in the first group reported having more energy and 8
classmates in the second group reported having more energy.
What is the independent variable?
a) amount of energy
b) special energy drink
c) the food coloring
12. Jessie is concerned about how tired his classmates seem. He created a drink that he
thinks will boost their energy. He recruits 100 classmates with a history of tiredness.
He has 50 of them drink his new special energy drink. The other 50 drink a beverage
that looks like the special energy drink, but is just water and food coloring. Both
groups were told that they were getting the special drink that would boost energy.
After 2 hours, 30 classmates in the first group reported having more energy and 8
classmates in the second group reported having more energy.
What is the dependent variable?
a) amount of energy
b) 100 classmates
c) special energy drink
13. Maria wants to know if birds prefer to eat in one place over another. She makes three
feeders out of 2-liter bottles and paints all of them red. She fills each of the feeders
with the same amount of mixed birdseed, and plans to keep the feeders out for 10
days before measuring how much seed is eaten from each feeder. She puts each of
the feeders in her back yard: one feeder in a large dead tree, another feeder she sits
on the dog house, and the last she sits in a small bushy tree.
What is the controlled variable?
a) location of bird feeder
b) amount of birdseed eaten
c) type of birdseed
14. Maria wants to know if birds prefer to eat in one place over another. She makes three
feeders out of 2-liter bottles and paints all of them red. She fills each of the feeders
with the same amount of mixed birdseed, and plans to keep the feeders out for 10
days before measuring how much seed is eaten from each feeder. She puts each of
the feeders in her back yard: one feeder in a large dead tree, another feeder she sits
on the dog house, and the last she sits in a small bushy tree.
What is the dependent variable?
a) location of the birdfeeders
b) amount of time feeders are outside
c) amount of seed eaten
15. How does watching TV during studying affect a student’s test grades? Which variable
is highlighted in red?
a) independent variable
b) dependent variable
c) controlled variable
16. What effect does decreasing the temperature of a room have on a lifespan of a
battery? Which variable is highlighted in red?
a) independent variable
b) dependent variable
c) controlled variable
17. An experiment for a new asthma medication was set up into two groups. Group one
was given the new drug for asthma, while group 2 was given a sugar pill. The sugar
pill serves as a _?_.
a) control trial
b) dependent variable
c) independent variable
d) controlled variable
18. In a controlled experiment, the variable that is changed to test the hypothesis is
called the _?_.
a) controlled variable
b) responsive variable
c) dependent variable
d) independent variable
19. The measurable factor in an experiment is known as the _?_.
a) controlled variable
b) independent variable
c) control trials
d) dependent variable
20. What is the correct sequence for the scientific method we use?
a) Ask a question, analyze results, make a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, draw
conclusions, and communicate results.
b) Ask questions, make a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, draw conclusions, analyze
results, and communicate results.
c) Ask questions, make a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, analyze results, draw
conclusions, and communicate results.
d) Make a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, analyze the results, ask a question, draw
conclusions, and communicate results.
21. Sequence (place in the right order) the steps of this experiment according to the
scientific method (aka which would you do 1st, 2nd, etc.).
A. Send your complete laboratory report to a national magazine for peer review.
B. Place an equal number of alligator eggs in incubators set at 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31,
32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 degrees Celsius.
C. What incubation temperatures will produce a female alligator to hatch from an
alligator egg?
D. Plot alligator gender versus temperature results in a graphic format.
a) C, B, D, A
b) B, C, A, D
c) C, D, B, A
d) C, B, A, D