A student wanted to test how the mass of a paper airplane affects the distance the paper airplane will fly. Paper clips were added before each test flight. As each paper clip was added, the plane was tested to determine how far it would fly. What is the independent variable?
what is the only thing that you can change? In fact, the description names the one thing you can change from test to test.
The amount of paperclips
The independent variable in this experiment is the mass of the paper airplane, specifically the number of paper clips added to the paper airplane before each test flight. The student is deliberately manipulating this variable to observe how it affects the distance the paper airplane will fly. By adding paper clips and increasing the mass of the paper airplane, the student can examine the relationship between the added mass and the resulting distance flown.
