Sponge Bob notices that his pal Gary is suffering from slimotosis, which occurs when the shell develops a nasty slime and gives off a horrible odor. His friend Patrick tells him that rubbing seaweed on the shell is the perfect cure, while Sandy says that drinking Dr. Kelp will be a better cure. Sponge Bob decides to test this cure by rubbing Gary with seaweed for 1 week and having him drink Dr. Kelp. After a week of treatment, the slime is gone and Gary’s shell smells better.

Question

Sponge Bob notices that his pal Gary is suffering from slimotosis, which occurs when the shell develops a nasty slime and gives off a horrible odor. His friend Patrick tells him that rubbing seaweed on the shell is the perfect cure, while Sandy says that drinking Dr. Kelp will be a better cure. Sponge Bob decides to test this cure by rubbing Gary with seaweed for 1 week and having him drink Dr. Kelp. After a week of treatment, the slime is gone and Gary’s shell smells better.

(1)What was the initial observation?

(2)What is the independent variable?

(3) What is the dependent variable?

(4) What should Sponge Bob’s conclusion be?

Answer 1

(1) The initial observation was that Gary's shell had developed a nasty slime and gave off a horrible odor.

(2) The independent variable is the treatment method, specifically the action of rubbing seaweed on Gary's shell and having him drink Dr. Kelp.

(3) The dependent variable is the condition of Gary's shell, specifically whether the slime is present and if the shell smells better or not.

(4) Sponge Bob's conclusion should be that the treatment involving rubbing seaweed on Gary's shell and having him drink Dr. Kelp was effective. This is because after a week of following this treatment, the slime is gone and Gary's shell smells better.