Experimental Basics

Question 1

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 1

an educated guess in a scientific experiment that can be supported or rejected based on the experiment’s results

Question 2

What are the two main variables in a scientific experiment?

Answer 2

independent variable and dependent variable

Question 3

What is an independent variable?

Answer 3

the variable the scientist changes in order to get a different result each time it changes

Question 4

What is a dependent variable?

Answer 4

the result of the experiment or the thing the scientist measures

Question 5

What is a confounding variable?

Answer 5

the variable that can vary the results of an experiment in the wrong way

Question 6

What is a constant variable?

Answer 6

the variable which stays the same throughout the experiment

Question 7

What is a controlled variable?

Answer 7

the variable which has little to no effect on the experiment (the variable which makes sure there is no confounding variable)

Question 8

What is the axis of the independent variable and the dependent variable on a graph?

Answer 8

IV is on the X-axis, and DV is on the Y-axis