Dependent and Independent Variables

Sarah is bringing treats to her elementary school class on her birthday. The number of treats she brings in is based on the number of students in her class.

t = the number of treats

s = the number of students

Which of the variables is independent?

• s

• t

Dilcia wants to know how drinking milk affects how tall a Monica grows. Which is the independent variable?

• Monica's growth
• drinking milk

What would the INDEPENDENT variable be in an experiment testing which types of paper airplane goes furthest?

• the paper used
• the type of paper airplane
• the distance of each plane's flight
• how hard the plane is thrown

Carey and Justin are raising money to purchase books for their school's library. The more money they raise, the more books they will be able to purchase for the library.
m = the amount of money Carey and Justin raise
b = the number of books Carey and Justin will be able to purchase
Which of the variables is dependent?

• m
• b

Changes in the _________ variable causes changes in the _________ variable.

• independent; dependent

• dependent; independent

On a graph, which axis shows the dependent variable?

• x-axis
• y-axis
• neither
• it changes

On a graph, which axis shows the independent variable?

• x-axis
• y-axis
• neither
• it changes

Jimmy earned $8 for every pizza he delivers.

m = money (dollars)

p = number of pizzas delivered

The dependent variable is:

• m = money

• p = number of pizzas delivered

Emma gets one sticker for every paper she completes.

s = stickers earned

p = papers completed

The independent variable is:

• s = stickers earned

• p = papers completed

Which is correct?

• the independent variable is distance
• the independent variable is d=25 t
• the dependent variable is time
• the dependent variable is distance