Final answer:
The independent variable is manipulated or controlled and is typically plotted on the x-axis, while the dependent variable changes in response and is plotted on the y-axis.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of a graph, the independent variable is the variable that you control or manipulate, whereas the dependent variable is the variable that changes as a result of the manipulation of the independent variable. When plotting a graph, the independent variable is typically represented on the horizontal axis or x-axis, and the dependent variable is represented on the vertical axis or y-axis. An example of this might be graphing time (independent variable) against distance (dependent variable); a classic physics graph would depict how distance changes over time.
A simple way to understand the relationship between the two is to think of the independent variable as the cause and the dependent variable as the effect. For instance, in a study testing whether the type of teaching method affects learning outcomes, the teaching method is the independent variable because it's what the experimenter is changing. The learning outcomes would be the dependent variable since it would vary based on the teaching method applied.