Hello. This question is incomplete. The full question is:
Jamie placed 1 cup of sand (S), potting soil (P), and a mixture of sand and soil (M) into separate containers. In each of the containers he placed a thermometer so that the bulb was 2.5 cm below the surface. He placed the 3 containers under identical heat lamps for an hour. The original temperatures of each container was 15°C. After heating the jars in three separate trials, the temperatures of the containers were as follows: S = 28oC, 27oC, 26oC; P = 33oC, 29oC, 31oC; M = 29oC, 29oC, 22.5oC.
What is the dependent and independent variable of this scenario?
Answer:
Independent variable: the type of soil.
Dependent variable: the temperature displayed after heating.
Step-by-step explanation:
As we can interpret from reading the scenario shown in the question above, Jamie wants to observe the temperature variation in different types of soil, that is, he wants to know the influence of the composition of the soil on the temperature it reaches, after being heated. To discover this influence Jamie establishes the experiment described above.
Every scientific experiment has dependent and independent variables. An independent variable is one that influences a system. This variable has the ability to cause a result within the experiment, through the influence on one of the elements of the system. The dependent variable, on the other hand, does not have this influencing capacity, but it is the element influenced by the independent variable that promotes the release of a measurable result.
As it is the composition of the soil that directly influences the temperature, we can say that the soil types are the independent variables, while the observed temperature are the dependent variables.