Question

Allison and Heather are going to conduct an experiment to see whether salt affects the growth of plants. They assemble five groups of identical plants and give the plants in each group water with a different salt concentration. What is the outcome variable (dependent variable) for their experiment?

A. Salt concentration in plant tissue
B. Salt concentration in plant water
C. Amount of water absorbed by plants
D. Average mass of plants in each group

Answer 1

The outcome or dependent variable in the experiment to see whether salt affects plant growth is D. Average mass of plants in each group because it changes in response to the variations in salt concentration.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Allison and Heather’s experiment to investigate the effect of salt on plant growth, the outcome variable, also known as the dependent variable, is the variable that is observed and likely to change in response to the independent variable. Based on the description of the experiment, the dependent variable would be D. Average mass of plants in each group because this is the aspect of the plants that will potentially be affected by the different salt concentrations in the water given to the plants.