Independent vs Dependent Variable
A student changes the amount of water given to a plant and measures its height. What is the independent variable?
What is the amount of water?
What SI unit would you use to measure length or distance?
What is a meter (m)?
The accepted value is 10.0 cm. Data set = 10.0, 10.1, 9.9 cm. Accurate, Precise, Both, Neither?
What is BOTH accurate and precise?
Which describes the total path traveled?
What is distance?
When adding vectors graphically, where do you draw the second vector?
What is at the head of Vector 1?
A student changes the temperature of water and measures how long sugar takes to dissolve. What is the dependent variable?
What is the time for sugar to dissolve?
What SI unit would you use to measure mass?
What is a gram (g) or kilogram (kg)?
The accepted value is 20.0 cm. Data set = 16.1, 16.1, 16.2 cm. Accurate, Precise, Both, Neither?
What is precise?
Which describes a change in position from start to finish?
What is displacement?
How do you draw the resultant vector?
A student tests whether the height of a ramp affects the distance a toy car travels. Identify independent and dependent variables.
IV = ramp height
DV = distance traveled
What SI unit would you use to measure time?
What is a second (s)?
The accepted value is 50.0 g. Data set = 44.0, 50.1, 56.0 g. Accurate, Precise, Both, Neither?
What is accurate?
Distance = 5 m
Displacement = 5 m E
What is the resultant of adding 5 m east and 4 m east?
What is 9 m east?
A student wants to know if the mass of a ball affects how high it bounces. What should the student change/measure?
Change = mass
Measure = bounce height
A student records the length of a classroom as 9 kg. What is the student's mistake?
The accepted value is 25.0 cm. Data set = 18.0, 30.0, 21.0 cm. Accurate, Precise, Both, Neither?
A student walks 6 m east then 2 m west. Find the distance and displacement.
Distance = 8 m
Displacement = 4 m E
What is the resultant of adding 5 m east and 7 m west?
What is 2 m west?
Explain the student's mistake: "I tested how surface type affects stopping distance of a toy car. The independent variable is the stopping distance."
The stopping distance is the DEPENDENT variable because it is measured.
A student records: distance = 12 meters, mass = 4 kg, time = 6 m/s. Which measurement is incorrect? What is the correct unit?
What is time? What is seconds (s)?
The accepted value is 100.0 g. Group A Data set = 99.9, 100.0, 100.1 g. Group B Data set =94.0, 94.1, 94.0 g. Which group recorded better data?
What is Group A (accurate and precise)?
A student walks 5 m north, then 3 m east, and finally 5 m south. Find the distance and displacement.
Distance = 13 m
Displacement = 3 m E
What is the resultant of adding 5 m east and 2 m south? Hint: draw to scale.
What is 5.4 m SE?