Question

a student conducts an experiment to test how the temperature affects the amount of sugar that can dissolve in water. in the experiment, she uses 100 milliliters of water in each trial and stirs for five minutes each time. what is the independent variable?
○ the amount of water
○ the time stirred
○ the temperature of the water
● the amount of sugar

Explanation:

To determine the independent variable, we recall that the independent variable is the factor that is manipulated or changed to observe its effect on another variable (the dependent variable). In this experiment, the student is testing how temperature affects sugar solubility. The amount of water (100 mL each time) and stirring time (5 minutes each time) are controlled variables (kept constant). The amount of sugar dissolved depends on temperature, so it's the dependent variable. The temperature of the water is what's being changed to see its effect on sugar dissolution, so it's the independent variable.

Answer:

C. the temperature of the water (Note: Assuming the options are labeled A - D with A: the amount of water, B: the time stirred, C: the temperature of the water, D: the amount of sugar)