Controlled Experiments and Variables

What is the Independent Variable (IV) in the following testable question: Does the temperature of a tennis ball affect the height of its bounce?

• the temperature of tennis ball

• height of the bounce

• size of the ball

Mrs. G set up an experiment to see how the type of ball affects the distance it rolls off a ramp. Identify the Independent Variable in this experiment.

• distance traveled by the ball

• height of the ramp

• the type of ball

What is the Dependent Variable (DV) in the following testable question? Does a metal baseball bat vibrate more than a wooden baseball bat?

• the type of baseball bat

• the amount of vibration

• weight of the batter

If you were going to test which brand of popcorn leaves the fewest unpopped kernels, which of the following would be a constant variable?

• Size of popcorn bag

• number of unpopped kernels

• brand of popcorn

Under what color light do plants grow the best? Which would be the independent variable in this experiment?

• amount of plant growth

• color of the light

• amount of time spent in the light

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

Mrs. G and Ms. H were debating how much fizz regular soda and diet soda made. Which would be the Independent Variable (IV) in this experiment?

• amount of fizz in soda

• temperature of the soda

• kind of soda

The variable we measure to get our results the:

• Dependent Variable
• Independent Variable
• Constant

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

The variable we are changing/investigating in an experiment is the:

• Dependent Variable
• Independent Variable
• Constant

How many variables can be tested in a controlled experiment?

• one
• two
• three
• as many as possible

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

The variables in an experiment that stay the same are the:

• IV
• DV
• Constants