Question

A student goes skateboarding a few times a week. The
student notices that she can go faster while skating on some level
surfaces than on others. She hypothesizes that speed has
something to do with the surface she is skating on. The student
wants to design an experiment to test this hypothesis.
a. Identify the independent (manipulated) variable in the
experiment.
Identify the dependent (responding) variable in the
experiment.
b.
c. Identify two factors that will need to be held constant in the
experiment.
(1)
(2)

Answer 1

a.

- Independent (manipulated) variable: The type or nature of the surface the student is skating on.

- Dependent (responding) variable: The speed of the student while skateboarding.

b.

Two factors that will need to be held constant in the experiment:

(1) The skateboard: To ensure that the type and condition of the skateboard do not affect the speed.

(2) The student's skill level: The student's proficiency in skateboarding should remain constant to isolate the impact of the surface type on speed.