An electromagnet can be made by wrapping insulated wire around an iron nail and connecting the ends of the wire to a 6-volt battery. HYPOTHESIS: Increasing the number of coils of wire wrapped around the nail increases the strength of the electromagnet, as measured by the number of paper clips the magnet can pick up. Identify the independent and dependent variables.
In this experiment, the independent variable is the number of coils of wire wrapped around the nail. This is the variable that the experimenter manipulates or changes in order to observe its effect on the dependent variable.
The dependent variable, on the other hand, is the strength of the electromagnet as measured by the number of paper clips it can pick up. This is the variable that the experimenter is interested in measuring, and it is expected to change in response to the manipulated independent variable.
To summarize:
- Independent variable: Number of coils of wire wrapped around the iron nail.
- Dependent variable: Strength of the electromagnet, as measured by the number of paper clips it can pick up.