BASIC STATISTICS SAN JACINTO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

CHAPTER 3

VARIABLES

Objectives: At the end of this chapter, the students are expected to:
1. Determine whether the variable is independent, dependent or constant.
2. Determine whether the variable is nominal, ordinal, Interval or ratio.
3. Identify the different levels of measurement of data.
4. Understand the different levels of measurements

TYPES OF VARIABLE

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1. A DEPENDENT VARIABLE is what you measure in the experiment and what is

affected during the experiment. The dependent variable responds to the
independent variable. It is called dependent because it “depends” on the
independent variable. In a scientific experiment, you cannot have a dependent
variable without an independent variable. Dependent variable is the values that
result from the independent variable. EFFECT
Scientists collect data on the dependent variable to see how it responds to the change
made to the independent variable. The new value of the dependent variable is caused
by and depends on the value of the independent variable. For example, if you open a
faucet part way (the independent variable), the quantity of water flowing (dependent
variable) changes in response--you observe that the water flow increases

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. You can directly
manipulate stress levels in your human subjects and measure how those stress levels
change heart rate

2. An INDEPENDENT VARIABLE is the values that can be changed in a given

model or equation. They provide the “input” which is modified by the model to
change the “output.” Independent variable is the variable you have control over,
what you can choose and manipulate. It is usually what you think will affect the
dependent variable. In some cases, you may not be able to manipulate the
independent variable. It may be something that is already there and is fixed,
something you would like to evaluate with respect to how it affects something
else, the dependent variable like color, kind, time.
The independent variable is the one that is changed/controlled by the scientist. To
ensure a fair test, a good experiment has only one independent variable. As the scientist
changes the independent variable, he or she observes what happens or results from that
change. CAUSE

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. You can directly
manipulate stress levels in your human subjects and measure how those stress levels
change heart rate.

Example of variables in scientific experiment

If a scientists conducts an experiment to test the theory that a vitamin could extend a
person’s life-expectancy, then:

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• The independent variable is the amount of vitamin that is given to the subjects
within the experiment. This is controlled by the experimenting scientist.
• The dependent variable , or the variable being affected by the independent
variable, is life span

The independent and dependent variables can vary from person to person, and the
variances are what are being tested; that is, whether the people given the vitamin live
longer than the people not given the vitamin. The scientist might then conduct further
experiments changing other independent variables—gender, ethnicity, overall health,
etc. – in order to evaluate the resulting dependent variables and to narrow down the
effects of the vitamin on life span under difference circumstances.
Here are some other examples of dependent and independent variables in scientific
experiments:

• A scientist studies the impact of a drug on cancer.

The Independent variables are the administration of the drug – the dosage and
the timing.
The dependent variable is the impact the drug has on cancer.
• A scientist studies the impact of withholding affection on rats.
The independent variable is the amount of affection.
The dependent variable is the reaction of the rats.
• A scientist studies how many days’ people can eat soup until they get sick.
The independent variable I the number of days of consuming soup.
The dependent variable is the onset of illness

3. A CONSTANT VARIABLE - Scientists design experiments to search for cause

and effect relationships. In other words, they design an experiment so that
changes to one item cause something else to vary in a predictable way. These
changing quantities are called variables. A variable is any factor, trait, or
condition that can exist in differing amounts or types. An experiment usually has
three kinds of variables: independent, dependent, and controlled.
Experiments also have constants or controlled variables. Controlled variables are
things that a scientist wants to remain the same throughout the experiment.
Consequently, they must watch over the constants carefully so they do not influence the
dependent variable in a misleading way. For example, if we want to measure how much
water flow increases when we open a faucet, it is important to make sure that the water
pressure in the pipes (the controlled variable) is the same through the entire experiment.
That's because both the water pressure and the opening of a faucet have an impact on
how much water flows. If we change both of them at the same time, we can't be sure
how much of the change in water flow is because of the faucet opening and how much
because of the water pressure. In other words, it would not be a fair test. Most
experiments have more than one controlled variable.

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Controlled variables also called constants are things that a scientist wants to remain
the same throughout the experiment. Consequently, they must watch over the constants
carefully so they do not influence the dependent variable in a misleading way. For
example, if we want to measure how much water flow increases when we open a faucet,
it is important to make sure that the water pressure in the pipes (the controlled variable)
is the same through the entire experiment.
That's because both the water pressure and the opening of a faucet have an impact on
how much water flows. If we change both of them at the same time, we can't be sure
how much of the change in water flow is because of the faucet opening and how much
because of the water pressure. In other words, it would not be a fair test. Most
experiments have more than one controlled variable.

Example 1: Independent, Dependent and Constant variables

.
A student might change the position of a plane’s wing to see how it affects the average speed of
a model plane. The wing position would be the independent variable- because the student
purposely changes its location. The average speed would be the dependent variable since the
average speed would depend on the location of the wing.
Independent: Wing position
Dependent: Average speed
Constant: When conducting an experiment, all other variables must be kept the same
throughout the investigation; they should be controlled. The variables that are not changed are
called controlled variables

Example 2: Independent, Dependent and Constant variables

How much water flows through a faucet at different openings?
Independent: Water faucet opening (closed half open, fully open)
Dependent: Amount of water flowing, measured in liters per minute.
Constant:

• The faucet
• Water pressure, or how much the water is “pushing”
“Different water pressure might also cause different amounts of water to flow and different
faucets may behave differently, so to ensure a fair test, I want to keep the water pressure and
the faucet the same for each faucet opening that I test”

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• A scientist studies the impact of a drug on cancer.

The independent variables are the administration of the drug - the dosage
and the timing.
The dependent variable is the impact the drug has on cancer.

• A scientist studies the impact of withholding affection on rats.

The independent variable is the amount of affection.
The dependent variable is the reaction of the rats.

• A scientist studies how many days people can eat soup until they get
sick.
The independent variable is the number of days of consuming soup.
The dependent variable is the onset of illness.

Experiment 1: You want to figure out which brand of microwave popcorn pops
the most kernels so you can get the most value for your money. You test different
brands of popcorn to see which bag pops the most popcorn kernels.

• Independent Variable: Brand of popcorn bag (It's the independent

variable because you are actually deciding the popcorn bag brands)
• Dependent Variable: Number of kernels popped (This is the dependent
variable because it's what you measure for each popcorn brand)

Experiment 2: You want to see which type of fertilizer helps plants grow fastest,
so you add a different brand of fertilizer to each plant and see how tall they grow.

• Independent Variable: Type of fertilizer given to the plant

• Dependent Variable: Plant height

Experiment 3: You're interested in how rising sea temperatures impact

algae life, so you design an experiment that measures the number of algae in a
sample of water taken from a specific ocean site under varying temperatures.

• Independent Variable: Ocean temperature

• Dependent Variable: The number of algae in the sample

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MEASUREMENT OF VARIABLES
The level of measurement is the basis for determining the appropriate
statistical tool/s in a given set of observations. The level of measurement of data
determines the algebraic expressions that can be performed. The levels of measurement
are: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio.

1. Nominal
--Nominal scales are expressed in categories. It is characterized by data
that consist of names, labels, or categories only. The data cannot be arranged by
ordering scheme.

Examples:
1. Name
2. Religion
3. Civil Status
4. Address
5. Sex
6. Degree program
7.

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2 .Ordinal
--Involves data that may be arranged from highest to lowest, but differences
between data values either cannot be determined or are meaningless.

Examples:
1. Military rank
2. Job position
3. Year level

3. Interval
--Is like the ordinal level with the additional property that meaningful amounts of
differences between data can be determined. However, there is no inherent (natural)
zero starting point.

Examples:
1.I.Q score 2. Temperature (in ⁰C)

4. Ratio
--Is the interval level modified to include the inherent zero starting point. For values
at this level, differences and ratios are meaningful.

Examples:
1. Height 4. Weekly allowance
2. Area 5. Distance
3. Width

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Name: _____________________________________ Date:_____________________

Grade and Section: ___________________________ Score: ___________________

Activity 1
Direction: Underline the dependent and encircle the independent and constant.

1. A study was done to find if different tire threads affect the breaking distance of a
car.

2. The times it takes to run a mile depends on, the persons running speed.

3. The height of bean plants depends on the amount of water they receive.

4. The higher the temperature of the air in the oven the faster a cake will bake.

5. Lemon trees receiving the most water/produced the most lemons.

6. The amount of algae growth in lakes seems to be directly related to the number
of bags of phosphate fertilizer by the local merchants.

7. The amount of pollution produced by car was measured for cars using gasoline
containing different constant of lead.

8. An experiment was done with six groups to see if scores on their weekly spelling
test were affected by the number of minutes of spelling practice they had each
day.

9. An investigation was performed to see if can seeds would sprout at different

times depending on the temperatures of water in which they was placed.

10. Mr. Mackar’s soccer team is having a car wash to raise money for new uniforms.

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Activity 2
Direction: Identify the following
1. Does fertilizer make a plant grow bigger?

Independent:

Dependent:

Constant:

2. Does an electric motor turn faster if you increase the voltage?

Independent:

Dependent:

Constant:

3. Do bicycle fenders keep the rider dry when riding through a puddle?

Independent:

Dependent:

Constant:

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Activity 3
Direction: Identify/ indicate the level of measurement for the following.

VARIABLE LEVEL OF MEASUREMENT

1. Length of service ____________________________

2. Age of respondents ____________________________

3. 65.5 kg. of rice ____________________________

4. Scores of students in a 50-point test ____________________________

5. Grade point average of a freshmen ____________________________

6. Student number ____________________________

7. Zip codes ____________________________

8. SSS number ____________________________

9. Lengths of T.V. commercial (in seconds) ____________________________

10. Ideal number of children ____________________________

11. Family income (in peso) ____________________________

12. Car plate number ____________________________

13. Main source of income ____________________________

14. Number of clients ____________________________

15. Blood pressure ____________________________

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Activity 3
Level of Measurement
Identify the following as nominal level, ordinal level, interval level, or ratio level data.

1. Identifying what is the color of the eye ________________

2. Amount of money that you spend in a month________________
3. The difference between 60 and 50 degrees is measurable 10 degrees
_______________
4. How would you feel today? Rate 1-5________________
5. Asking the religions of 5 persons ________________
6. Commuting times to work ____________
7. Ages (in years) of students ________________
8. Rate the taste of chocolate flavored ice cream________________
9. Years of important historical events ________________
10. The test is classified as: Easy, Average and Difficult ________________

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