Chapter 17, Problem 104A

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation: The difference between independent variable and dependent variable is to be listed.

Concept introduction: Anything that may vary or be altered is a variable. To put it another way, it refers to any variable that can be altered, taken into account, or measured in an experiment.

Explanation of Solution

The main difference between independent and dependent variables is that when we conduct an experiment, the independent variable is the condition that we change in an experiment., and the dependent variable is what changes because of that. Thus, we can say independent variable as the cause and the dependent variable as the effect.

Independent variable is controlled by the experimenter; however, the dependent variable depends on the independent variable. A dependent variable is measured by the experimenter. An independent variable does not get affected by the experiment.

For example, how long we sleep (independent variable) affects our test score (dependent variable).