Variables Practice 1

Name:______

Read the different scenarios and identify the different types of variables. You must fill in variables in all of the spaces provided.

  1. The owners of the Happy Friends Pet Store were curious if vitamins would help their rabbits gain weight. They picked four rabbits of the same age and size. One was not given any vitamins; another rabbit was given a vitamin each day; a third rabbit received two vitamins each day; and the last rabbit was given three vitamins each day. The rabbits were kept in identical cages and were given the same amount of food and water.

Independent Variable / Constants / Dependent Variable
1. / 1. / 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
  1. Veronica wanted to determine if the amount of liquid fertilizer she used would affect the height of her bean plants. One group of plants received no fertilizer. A second group of plants was given 1ml of fertilizer daily. The third group received 10 ml of fertilizer daily. The beans were planted in identical soil and given the same amount of water. Each plant also received the same amount of sunlight. Veronica measured the plants every week.

Independent Variable / Constants / Dependent Variable
1. / 1. / 1.
2.
3.

3. Mrs. Webb and Mr. Zarea wondered if using flash cards would help their students learn the definitions of different energy sources. Mrs. Webb used flash cards with her students, Mr. Zarea did not. All the students were given the same classroom instruction, the same amount of time to study, and the same test. The teachers then graded the tests and compared the grades.

Independent Variable / Constants / Dependent Variable
1. / 1. / 1.
2.
3.

4. Jenny was given an assignment to perform a physics experiment on toy cars. She decided that for her first experiment she would test the time it took one toy car to travel down the same ramp at various angles. For her second experiment she would place a mass on the car and see how that would affect the time of the toy car’s travel. The following charts show each experiment. Write the constants, independent variables, and dependent variables for each experiment in the space provided.

Experiment 1

Trials / Angle / Mass / Time
1 / 10° / 10g / 10 seconds
2 / 25° / 10g / 7 seconds
3 / 45° / 10g / 5 seconds
Independent Variable / Constants / Dependent Variable
1. / 1.
2. / 1.
3.
Trials / Angle / Mass / Time
1 / 45° / 10g / 5 seconds
2 / 45° / 20g / 4 seconds
3 / 45° / 30g / 3 seconds

Experiment 2

Independent Variable / Constants / Dependent Variable
1. / 1. / 1.
2.
3.