Question

the passage below describes an experiment. in science class, jerry learned that polar molecules stick to each other better than nonpolar molecules. he reasoned that polar compounds, such as water, should have higher boiling points than nonpolar compounds, such as olive oil, because their molecules stick together more strongly. to test his idea, jerry heated a cup of water and a cup of olive oil separately. to jerrys surprise, the water boiled first, showing that polarity alone does not determine boiling point! complete the sentence. in this experiment, the polarity of the molecules in the liquid was
a dependent variable
an independent variable

Explanation:

In an experiment, the independent variable is what is changed or manipulated. Here, Jerry is testing the effect of molecule polarity on boiling - point. So, the polarity of the molecules is the independent variable.

Answer:

an independent variable