Question

a student records the following data during a wetland visit: \the water is murky and smells strongly.\ \several fish are floating on the surface, not moving.\ \there may have been a chemical spill that caused fish to die.\ which statement is an inference, and how do you know? image of wetland the statement about the smell is an inference because smells are based on opinion. the floating fish observation is an inference because it explains what happened. the statement about a chemical spill is an inference because it attempts to explain the cause of the observations. all statements are inferences because they involve the student’s personal experience. which is the independent variable? chart: month, # of deer: sept 38, oct 32, nov 26, dec 20, jan 18, feb 12

Explanation:

First Sub - Question (Inference)

• An inference is a conclusion or explanation based on observations. The statement "The water is murky and smells strongly" and "Several fish are floating on the surface, not moving" are direct observations. The statement "There may have been a chemical spill that caused fish to die" is an inference because it tries to explain the cause of the observed phenomena (murky water, smelly water, dead fish) rather than just describing what was seen.
• The first option is wrong because the smell description is an observation (sensory perception), not an inference. The second option is wrong because the floating fish is an observation, not an explanation. The fourth option is wrong because not all statements are inferences; some are observations.

Step1: Recall the definition of independent variable

An independent variable is the variable that is manipulated or is the cause, and it is not dependent on other variables in the context of a study. In the table, we have two variables: Month and the number of deer.

Step2: Analyze the relationship

The number of deer seems to change as the month changes. The month is the variable that is not dependent on the number of deer (the number of deer depends on factors related to the month, like season, food availability which varies with month). So the independent variable is the month.

Answer:

The statement about a chemical spill is an inference because it attempts to explain the cause of the observations

Second Sub - Question (Independent Variable)