Variables

Variable
something that can change in an
experiment

1. What variables can affect the sprouting of a seed?

2. What variables can affect the attendance at a
football game?

Our Question: How does the amount of
fertilizer affect tomato plant growth?

Experiment 1: The Effect of Fertilizer on Tomato Plants
Experiment: Tomato plants were grown in temperature-controlled
greenhouses. Each plant was given the same amount of water,
sunlight, and growing space. Four hundred tomato plants were
divided into four groups as described below:

Tomato plants were fertilized every 14 days and measured for
growth at 4, 8, and 12 weeks.



No
fertilizer
5 grams
fertilizer
10 grams
fertilizer
15 grams
fertilizer
manipulated variable
A factor (thing) that is intentionally
changed

What is the manipulated variable in our
tomato plant experiment?
Amount of fertilizer
responding variable
a factor (thing) that changes as a result
of the manipulated variable

What is the responding variable in our
tomato plant experiment?
growth
controlled variable
The factors (things)that are not
changed in the experiment. It is kept
intentionally the same.

What are the controlled variables in our
tomato plant experiment?
Temperature
Water
Sunlight
Growing space
Question: How does temperature
affect egg production?
65 70 75 80
Experiment: Two-thousand chickens were kept in four
different temperature-controlled houses at 65F, 70F,
75F and 80F. All chickens were the same age, same
breed, and were fed the same amount and type of feed.
Egg production was measured daily.


65 70 75 80
manipulated variable
a factor or condition that is intentionally changed

What is the manipulated variable in our
chicken experiment?
65 70 75 80
Temperature
responding variable
a factor or condition that changes as a result of the
manipulated variable

What is the responding variable in our
chicken experiment?
egg production
controlled variable
A factor that is not changed in the experiment. It is
intentionally kept the same.

What is the controlled variable in our
chicken experiment?
feed
type of chicken
health
age
disease
number of chickens
presence of roosters