Independent/Dependent Variables & Constants

Sandy grows roses along her walkway. The roses close to the street had more blooms than the roses close to the house. Which statement is a hypothesis Sandy could make about her roses?

• There were many blooms on the roses near the house and fewer blooms on the roses closest to the street.

• The roses closest to the street had more blooms because they received more sunlight.

• The roses near the house were taller but had fewer blooms.

• The roses close to the house had fewer blooms and leaves.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Max is doing an experiment on tomato plants. His hypothesis is, “A tomato plant will not grow in a shady area.” On which of these relationships did Max base his hypothesis?

• Warm temperature causes plant growth.

• Sunlight causes plant growth.

• Tall plants cause shade.

• New plants need fresh water.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

Two students wanted to find out which of their toy race cars would go the farthest. They let each car roll down a ramp and then measured how far the cars rolled. Which of these should be held constant if they want a fair test of their cars?

• The height of the ramp

• The weight of the ramp

• The length of the cars

• The shape of the cars

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

Three baseball players investigate to see who can throw a baseball the farthest. They mark off an area on the playground for their investigation. Which should they keep constant?

• Height of players

• Color of the baseballs thrown

• Order in which the players throw

• Spot from which players throw

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

A student set up an experiment to test how much bean plants will grow in soil with salt in it. The student grew 50 plants in one group and 50 plants in the other group. The only thing that can be different in the two groups is the amount of —

• soil in each plant pot

• water given to each plant

• salt in the soil in each plant pot

• fertilizer given to each plant

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Students want to learn which of two soils holds more water. They put clay in one bottle and sand in the other. Then they put equal amounts of water in the bottles. Some of the water drained into beakers. Which of these is the manipulated, independent variable?

• Type of soil

• Type of beaker

• Amount of water

• Number of bottles

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-3

The pictures above show how one student tried to see how the heat from a light bulb affected the rate of evaporation of a liquid. What is the only variable being changed in this experiment?

• The size of the container

• The position of the thermometer

• The position of the light bulb

• The amount of water

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-3

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

A student designed an investigation to test the effect of light color on plant growth. What was the manipulated (independent) variable in the investigation?

• Color of light bulb

• Height of plant

• Hours of light

• Size of pot

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

Students planted bean seeds in the same kind of soil in separate cups. The cups were put next to each other on a sunny windowsill. Cup 1 was given 10 mL of water every other day. Cup 2 was given no water. Which of these is the independent (manipulated) variable in the experiment?

• The type of soil

• The type of seed

• The amount of water

• The amount of sunlight

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

In an experiment, Jackson tested to see how the size of rocks affects the amount of dirt that washes away when water flows downhill. Which variable was manipulated?

• Amount of water

• Slope of the hill

• Size of the rocks

• Type of dirt

Tags

NGSS.4-ESS2-1