Question

a student is experimenting with firing a bullet into a solid wooden cart. she can measure the initial speed of the bullet, the mass of the bullet, the final speed of the cart, and the mass of the cart. if she wants to investigate how the final speed of the cart is affected by the mass of the bullet, what independent, dependent, and control variables should she use? independent variable: dependent variable: control variables:

Explanation:

The independent variable is what is changed in an experiment. Here, the student wants to see the effect of the mass of the bullet, so that's the independent variable. The dependent variable is what is being measured as a result of the change in the independent variable, which is the final speed of the cart. Control variables are those that are kept constant to ensure the accuracy of the experiment. In this case, the initial speed of the bullet and the mass of the cart are kept constant.

Answer:

Independent Variable: Mass of the bullet
Dependent Variable: Final speed of the cart
Control Variables: Initial speed of the bullet, mass of the cart