Question

success criteria: at the end of the lesson, students will differ planning and carrying out an investigation.
directions: read each experiment carefully. circle the best question, then complete the short-answer section.

• independent variable (what you change)
• dependent variable (what you measure)
• controlled variable (what you keep the same)

part a: multiple choice (1 point each)

1. a student waters one plant daily and another ever what is the independent variable? (sci.sep3.a

a) the size of the pot
b) the amount of water each plant receives
c) the height of the plant
d) the type of soil

1. in the same experiment above, what is the de

a) the height of each plant measured over t
b) the amount of water given
c) the type of pot used
d) the sunlight received

1. a student tests whether the type of paper

what is a controlled variable? (sci.se
a) the design of the airplane
b) the distance the plane flies
c) the size and type of paper used
d) the landing spot

Explanation:

Question 1

The independent variable is what the experimenter changes. In the plant - watering experiment, the student changes the amount of water each plant receives (one is watered daily, the other at a different interval). The size of the pot, type of soil are controlled variables (kept same), and plant height is the dependent variable (measured). So the independent variable is the amount of water each plant receives.

The dependent variable is what is measured. In the plant experiment, the height of the plant (measured over time) depends on the amount of water (independent variable). The amount of water is independent, type of pot and sunlight received are controlled (kept same). So the dependent variable is the height of each plant measured over time (assuming the option a is "The height of each plant measured over time").

A controlled variable is kept the same. In the paper airplane experiment, to test the type of paper, the design of the airplane should be kept same (controlled) so that only the paper type affects the flight. The distance is dependent, paper type is independent, landing spot is not a key controlled variable here. So the controlled variable is the design of the airplane.

Answer:

b) The amount of water each plant receives

Question 2