Question

Janessa is babysitting for her younger siblings and makes $9 per hour. The amount of money she makes, s(x), depends on the hours she works, x. What is the independent variable?

a) $9 per hour
b) The total salary
c) s(x)
d) The hours she worked

Answer 1

The independent variable in Janessa's babysitting scenario is the hours she worked, which is option d. Her salary is dependent on the hours, making the hours the independent variable.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this question, we're examining the relationship between the hours Janessa works and the money she makes while babysitting. The independent variable is the factor that is changed or controlled in an experiment to test its effects on the dependent variable. In Janessa's case, the independent variable is d) The hours she worked, because the money she earns depends on the number of hours she babysits. Her earnings per hour, represented as $9, is a constant rate, not a variable. The term s(x) is a function representing her total salary, which is the dependent variable because it relies on the number of hours Janessa works.