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Science-Related Homework Help High School Level Science Topic started by: hasanqusay on Sep 25, 2010



Title: identifying dependent and independent variables
Post by: hasanqusay on Sep 25, 2010
Hi everybody> happy saturday

for each of the following statements identify the dependent and independent variables:

1.stuedents in a science class carried out an investigation in which a flashlight was pointed at a screen. They wished to find out if the distance from the light to the screen had any effect on the size of the illuminated area.

(dv) .....................  (iv)....................

2.the number of pigs in a litter is determined by the weight of the mother pig.

3.the state agriculture department has been couniting the number of foxes in fairfax county. will the number of foxes have any effect on the rabbit population?

4.the score on the biology final exam depends on the number of vocabulary words mastered by the students during the school year.

5.A study was done with white rats to see if the number of spring born dead is affected by the number of minutes of exposure tp X-rays by the mother rats


Title: Re: identifying dependent and independent variables
Post by: rainbows246 on Sep 25, 2010
1. iv is the distance from the light to the screen
    dv is the size of the illuminated area

2. weight of the mother pig is the iv
    number of pigs in a litter is the dv

3. number of foxes is the iv
    number of rabbits is the dv

4. vocab words "mastered" is the iv
    bio final exam is the dv

5. number of minutes exposed to x-ray of the mother rat is the iv
    number of dead off spring is the dv

the trick of it is to think of it like this. The DEPENDENT variable will "depend" on the INdependent variable. So think of it like this, in those questions, which number if changed will affect the second number? That number which affects the second number is the INdependent variable, the one which changes "depending" on the other number is the DEPENDENT variable.

When you graph these numbers, the independent variable will be the "x" value while the dependent variable will be the "y" and so if you think of it in function notations, y is equal to f at x. So it makes sense that y will depend of x, and so you know the x value is the independent variable.


Title: Re: identifying dependent and independent variables
Post by: bio_man on Sep 25, 2010
Thanks rainbows246!