Question

In your garden, you noticed that the tomato plants did better on the north side of your house than the west side and you decided to figure out why. They are both planted with the same soil that provides adequate nutrients to the plant, and they are watered at the same time during the week. Over the course of a week, you begin to measure the amount of sunlight that hits each side of the house and determine that the north side gets more light because the sunlight is blocked by the house's shadow on the west side. What is the name of the factor in your observations that affected the tomato plants growth?

A. the control
B. the independent variable
C. the dependent variable
D. The conclusion

Answer 1

The factor that affected the tomato plants growth is the independent variable, which in this case is the amount of sunlight hitting each side of the house. The dependent variable, the growth of the tomato plants, was observed to be better on the north side which received more sunlight.

Step-by-step explanation:

The factor in the observation that affected the tomato plants growth is the independent variable.

The independent variable is the variable that is intentionally changed or manipulated in an experiment. In this case, the amount of sunlight hitting each side of the house is the independent variable because it was deliberately measured and determined to be different on the north side and west side of the house.

The dependent variable is the variable that is observed or measured and is expected to be influenced by the independent variable. In this case, the growth of the tomato plants is the dependent variable as it was found to be better on the north side which received more sunlight.