An independent variable is a factor that can be varied or manipulated in an

experiment (e.g. time, temperature, concentration, etc). It is usually what will

affect the dependent variable.

An Independent variable is a variable that stands alone and is not effected

by the changes of the other variables which we are trying to measure

A dependent variable is what you measure in the experiment and what is

affected during the experiment. The dependent variable responds to the
independent variable. It is called dependent because it "depends" on the
independent variable

•You are interested in how stress affects heart rate in humans. Your
independent variable would be the stress and the dependent variable
would be the heart rate. You can directly manipulate stress levels in
your human subjects and measure how those stress levels change
heart rate.

•(Time Spent Studying) causes a change in (Test Score) and it isn't

possible that (Test Score) could cause a change in (Time Spent
Studying).We see that "Time Spent Studying" must be the independent
variable and "Test Score" must be the dependent variable because the
sentence doesn't make sense the other way around.

• listening to music would increase productivity in the workplace. You

randomly assign each participant in this experiment to either an
experimental condition or a control condition. In the experimental
condition, participants listen to music while they work. In the
control condition, the participants do not listen to music while they
work. In this example, listening to music vs. not listening to music
is the independent variable. The dependent variable in this
example is productivity.
•The wages of an employee depend on the time worked. Time is the
independent variable that varies among employees, and the
wages are calculated directly from the total time worked. Thus
wages are dependent on time worked.

•Drunken driving contribute to traffic accidents.Drunken =

independent variable.traffic accidents. = dependent variable.

•smoking leads to cancer .smoking= independent ,cancer=

dependent

•while measuring the growth rate of plants under sunlight for

6 hours a day versus plants that take 5 hours of sunlight.
Independent Variable is no of hours of sunlight in a day
and dependent variable will be growth of plant

• There will be a difference in graduation rates of at-risk high-

school seniors who participate in a program as opposed to
at-risk high-school seniors who do not participate in the
program. Independent Variable is Participation in
intensive study program and dependent variable is
Graduation rates.

•. Amount of Time Spent in Studying results a change in Test

Score . Independent variable is amount of Time Spent
Studying and Test Score is a dependent variable.