What is the independent variable?

Independent and dependent variables are related to one another. The Independent part is what you, the experimenter, changes or enacts in order to do your experiment. The dependent variable is what changes when the independent variable changes - the dependent variable depends on the outcome of the independent variable.

Lisa -- Please do not copy without citing your source. That's called plagiarism!

The above paragraph came from this site:

http://www.cool-science-projects.com/independent-and-dependent-variables.html

The independent variable is the variable in a scientific experiment that is intentionally manipulated or changed by the researcher. It is the variable that the researcher believes will have an effect on the dependent variable.

To determine the independent variable in an experiment, you can follow these steps:

1. Identify the purpose of the experiment: Understand the specific goal of the research. What question is the researcher trying to answer?

2. Identify the variables: Determine the different factors that might affect the outcome of the experiment. These variables may be things like time, temperature, concentration, or distance.

3. Determine which variable is intentionally changed or manipulated: Look for the variable that the researcher is deliberately altering in different experimental conditions. This variable is the independent variable.

For example, let's say you are conducting an experiment to test the effect of different fertilizers on plant growth. In this case, the type of fertilizer would be the independent variable as you are intentionally varying the fertilizer type to observe its impact on plant growth.

Remember, the independent variable is the one that is intentionally changed by the researcher to test its effect on the dependent variable.