Question

Polly likes to grow tomatoes in her garden, and wonders if organic pesticide is as effective as non-organic pesticide at keeping worms off of her tomato plants. She designs an experiment to test both pesticides, which she conducts for one summer. Which statement is true of this experiment?

a. The type of pesticide used is the response variable.
b. The number of worms on her plants is the explanatory variable.
c. The number of worms on her plants is the response variable.
d. The duration of her experiment is the explanatory variable.

Answer 1

The correct answer is (c) the number of worms on her plants is the response variable. This is because in Polly's experiment, the response variable is the outcome being measured, which is the effect that the independent variable (the type of pesticide) has on the tomato plants.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Polly's experiment to compare the effectiveness of organic pesticide versus non-organic pesticide on her tomato plants, the correct statement is that the number of worms on her plants is the response variable. This means the correct answer to the question is (c).

An experiment generally tests how one variable (the independent variable) affects another (the dependent variable). In this case, the type of pesticide used (organic vs. non-organic) is the independent variable, because it is the factor that is being manipulated to see its effect. On the other hand, the number of worms on the tomato plants, which is what Polly is measuring to determine the effectiveness of the pesticide, is the dependent variable. It is 'dependent' because its variation is expected in response to different types of pesticides used.