Question

a scientist hypothesizes that the temperature at which alligator eggs are incubated will determine the sex of the young alligator. the scientist proposes to store alligator eggs at various temperatures and count the number of male and female alligators that result in each case. which of the following is/are true in this experiment? check all that apply the dependent variable is the temperature. the dependent variable is the number of eggs. the dependent variable is the number of male or female alligators. the independent variable is the temperature. the independent variable is the number of eggs.

Explanation:

1. Independent Variable Definition: The independent variable is the factor that is manipulated or changed in an experiment. Here, the scientist changes the temperature at which alligator eggs are incubated, so temperature is the independent variable.
2. Dependent Variable Definition: The dependent variable is the factor that is measured or observed to see how it responds to changes in the independent variable. The number of male or female alligators depends on the incubation temperature, so it is the dependent variable.
3. Evaluating Other Options:

• "The dependent variable is the temperature" is incorrect because temperature is the independent variable (it's manipulated).
• "The dependent variable is the number of eggs" is incorrect as the number of eggs isn't what's being studied in terms of response to temperature (the study is about sex of alligators, not number of eggs).
• "The independent variable is the number of eggs" is incorrect because the number of eggs isn't being manipulated; the temperature is.

Answer:

• The independent variable is the temperature.
• The dependent variable is the number of male or female alligators.