Question

many types of bacteria cannot survive on objects made of copper. dr. melton was considering using beds with copper bed rails instead of beds with plastic rails at the hospital where she worked. she wanted to know if copper bed rails would reduce the number of patients who got new infections. to test this, dr. melton had beds with copper rails placed in half of the hospital rooms. over the next six months, 430 patients were admitted to the hospital; 215 patients were put in rooms with copper bed rails and 215 patients were put in rooms with plastic bed rails. dr. melton counted the number of patients in each type of room who got new infections while they were in the hospital. which of the following was an independent variable in this experiment? the number of patients who got new infections the type of bed rail

Explanation:

In an experiment, the independent variable is the factor that is deliberately changed or manipulated. Here, Dr. Melton changes the type of bed - rail (copper or plastic) to see its effect on new patient infections. The number of new infections is the dependent variable that is expected to change based on the type of bed - rail.

Answer:

the type of bed rail