Answer:
Answer:
The pesticide measurements were the dependent variable
Step-by-step explanation:
According to this question, an experiment to determine if pesticide used at local farms was causing fish kills in a local pond was conducted by two students. They followed the following steps:
- Select one location to collect water samples in the pond.
- Collect a 5-mL water sample at 8 am for two days.
- Measure the amount of pesticide present in each sample using the same measurement tools
However, after analyzing the data, they concluded that "runoff from farms is not causing the fish to die in the pond". The students' conclusion is not reliable because THE PESTICIDE MEASUREMENTS WERE THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE.
Note that, the dependent variable in an experiment is the measured variable while the independent variable is the manipulated variable. In this case, the students ought to measure the death RATE OF FISH KILLS as the dependent variable instead. The PESTICIDE is the independent variable of the experiment not dependent variable. This was the reason for the unreliability of the conclusion.
Step-by-step explanation: