The document defines independent and dependent variables. The independent variable is what the experimenter controls or changes, while the dependent variable depends on or responds to changes in the independent variable. For example, in an experiment measuring plant growth under different sunlight conditions, the amount of daily sunlight would be the independent variable controlled by the experimenter, while the plant growth rate would be the dependent variable responding to changes in sunlight.

1. I N D E P E N D E N T A N D D E P E N D E N T V A R I A B L E S
A R E R E L A T E D T O O N E A N O T H E R .
Independent and Dependent
Variables

2. Independent Variable
 The Independent part is what
you, the experimenter, changes
or enacts in order to do your
experiment.

3. Dependent Variable
The dependent variable is what
changes when the independent
variable changes - the
dependent variable depends on
the outcome of the independent
variable.

4.  For instance: if you were measuring the growth rate
of plants under full sunlight for 8 hours a day versus
plants that only have 4 hours of full sunlight per day,
the amount of time per day of full sunlight would be
the independent variable - the variable that you
control. The growth rate of the plants would be a
dependent variable.

5. Independent Dependent
Cause Effect
Before After
Input Output
What you do What happens

6.  Independent = input a.k.a. x-value
Dependent = output a.k.a. y-value
 Dependent variables go on y axis. Independent
variables go on x axis.

7. Time is almost always independent and
that is why it nearly always on x axis.
Time doesn't depend on anything in
most experiments. But many things
depend on it. Those will go on the y
axis.

8. Independent? Dependent?

9. Independent? Dependent?