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 dependent variable?
really? They told you that the plane was tested to determine how far it would fly
so the dependent variable will be the distance flown, depending on the weight of clips.
The dependent variable in this experiment is the distance that the paper airplane flies. The dependent variable is the variable that is measured or observed and is expected to change in response to the independent variable, which in this case is the mass of the paper airplane (controlled by adding paper clips). The purpose of this experiment is to see how the increase in mass affects the distance the paper airplane can travel. By adding paper clips, the student is manipulating the independent variable and then measuring the dependent variable (distance flown) to see if there is a correlation.
