Dajuan is studying the effect of the amount of lactobacillus bacteria in yogurt on its viscosity. He chooses two amounts of lactobacillus bacteria, the standard amount and an increased amount. He makes 75 batches of yogurt at each level and tests their viscosity. In this situation, what is the amount of lactobacillus bacteria called?
The correct answer is the treatment because Dajuan is manipulating the amount of lactobacillus bacteria in the yogurt to see how it affects viscosity. The treatment variable is what is being tested or manipulated in an experiment. The population refers to the entire group being studied, the independent variable is what is being changed or controlled by the experimenter, and the dependent variable is what is being measured or observed as the outcome. In this case, the amount of lactobacillus bacteria is the treatment being applied to the yogurt.
