Identifying Independent and Dependent Variables

For each of the investigations described you need to identify the independent variable (IV) . John was investigating how the amount of sunlight affects the size of the leaves of a tree.

• Amount of sunlight

• Size of the leaves

• Type of soil

• Watering frequency

• Temperature

For each of the investigations described you need to identify the independent variable (IV) Madeline carried out a test to see if the height of a person was related to how fast they can run.

• Height of a person

• How fast they can run

• Age of a person

• Weight of a person

• Shoe size of a person

For each of the investigations described you need to identify the independent variable (IV) Akbar did a scientific investigation to measure how much energy was stored in different types of crisps.

• Types of crisps

• Energy stored

• Amount of salt

• Brand of crisps

• Color of packaging

For each of the investigations described you need to identify the independent variable (IV) Jayden conducted a survey to find out if the most common hair colour was the same in boys and girls.

• Gender (boys and girls)

• Most common hair colour

• Age group

• Height

For each of the investigations described you need to identify the independent variable (IV) Sasha did a series of investigations to see if the height of a ball’s bounce was dependent on the size of the ball.

• Size of the ball

• Height of the ball’s bounce

• Color of the ball

• Material of the ball

• Surface on which the ball bounces

Identify the independent variable (IV) and the dependent variable (DV) in Elizabeth's investigation on the relationship between water temperature and how quickly it can be frozen.

• Independent Variable: Water temperature; Dependent Variable: Time to freeze

• Independent Variable: Time to freeze; Dependent Variable: Water temperature

• Independent Variable: Water temperature; Dependent Variable: Volume of water

• Independent Variable: Volume of water; Dependent Variable: Time to freeze

Rhys was investigating how far a car continued to travel after braking on different road surfaces. Identify the independent variable (IV) and the dependent variable (DV).

• IV: Road surface, DV: Distance traveled

• IV: Distance traveled, DV: Road surface

• IV: Speed of the car, DV: Road surface

• IV: Road surface, DV: Speed of the car

Identify the independent variable (IV) and the dependent variable (DV) in Mohammed's investigation to find out how far a spring could be stretched before it wouldn’t recoil to its original shape again.

• IV: Force applied; DV: Distance stretched

• IV: Distance stretched; DV: Force applied

• IV: Material of spring; DV: Time taken to recoil

• IV: Temperature; DV: Elastic limit

Zi Xin was carrying out an experiment to see how the number of bulbs in a circuit affected the brightness of the light produced. Identify the independent variable (IV) and the dependent variable (DV).

• IV: Number of bulbs, DV: Brightness of light

• IV: Brightness of light, DV: Number of bulbs

• IV: Type of circuit, DV: Number of bulbs

• IV: Voltage, DV: Brightness of light

Identify the independent variable (IV) and the dependent variable (DV) in Emma's experiment to determine how the concentration of sugar in water affects the rate of fermentation.

• IV: Concentration of sugar; DV: Rate of fermentation

• IV: Rate of fermentation; DV: Concentration of sugar

• IV: Temperature; DV: Concentration of sugar

• IV: Type of yeast; DV: Rate of fermentation