Question

Practice It!

In the 17th century, a scientist by the name of Francesco Redi conducted an experiment to refute
the theory at the time that simple lifeforms (such as flies) spontaneously generated from
inanimate or once living matter.
His counter hypothesis and basis of his experiment was, "If a piece of rotten meat is placed in a
sealed jar, then no maggots (hatched flies) will appear."
Which of the following is the independent variable of Redi's experiment?
The appearance or absence of maggots.
The flies' accessibility to the rotten meat.
The number of flies attracted to the rotten meat.
The type of rotten meat.

Answer 1

The independent variable of Redi's experiment is the presence or absence of maggots.

Step-by-step explanation:

The independent variable in Francesco Redi's experiment is the presence or absence of maggots. Redi hypothesized that if a piece of rotten meat is placed in a sealed jar, no maggots would appear. By manipulating the presence or absence of maggots, Redi was able to test his hypothesis and draw conclusions about the spontaneous generation of flies from inanimate or once living matter.

Learn more about Scientific Experimentation