Brainlag PlusIndependent, dependent and control variables, hypotheses, choosing apparatus, risk, and writing a 6-mark plan.
Three kinds of variable
- Independent: the one you change on purpose. It goes on the x-axis.
- Dependent: the one you measure. It goes on the y-axis.
- Control: everything else that could change the result. Keep each one the same, so the test is fair (valid).
A hypothesis is an idea about how one variable affects another that an experiment can test: "the longer the pendulum, the longer each swing takes".
- A student times a toy car down a ramp at different angles
- Independent: the angle of the ramp
- Dependent: the time to reach the bottom
- Control: the ramp length, the car, the starting point
A control variable is not the thing you measure. If the answer is "the time", it is almost never a control variable.
The rest of this lesson and its 7 practice questions are in Plus.
Screen 1 of 3, free to read.
- 7 exam-style questions, marked as you go, each with a worked solution
- Anything you get wrong is saved to your flashcards