9/4/2019 Variables in Your Science Fair Project

Variables in Your Science Fair Project

What are Variables? Teacher Tool Box

Scientists try to figure out how the natural world works. In doing so, they use experiments to search for cause and effect
relationships. Cause and effect relationships explain why things happen and allow you to reliably predict what will happen Assign these with Google
if you do something. In other words, scientists design an experiment so that they can observe or measure if changes to one Classroom:
thing cause something else to vary in a repeatable way.
Variables Quiz
The things that are changing in an experiment are called variables. A variable is any factor, trait, or condition that can exist (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-

in differing amounts or types. An experiment usually has three kinds of variables: independent, dependent, and controlled. projects/project_variables/quiz-001)

My Science Project Variables

The independent variable is the one that is changed by the scientist. Why just one? Well, if you changed more than one
(http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-
variable it would be hard to figure out which change is causing what you observe. For example, what if our scientific
projects/project_variables/submission-001)
question was: "How does the size of a dog affect how much food it eats?"; then, during your feeding experiments you
changed both the size of the dog and the time of day the dogs were fed. The data might get a bit confusing— did the larger (Student Worksheet)
dog eat less food than the smaller dog because of his size or because it was the middle of the day and dogs prefer to eat
more in the morning? Sometimes it is impossible to just change one variable, and in those cases, scientists rely on more-
complicated mathematical analysis and additional experiments to try to figure out what is going on. Older students are
invited to read more about that in our Experimental Design for Advanced Science Projects (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-
projects/competitions/experimental-design-for-advanced-science-projects) page. To be clear though, for a science fair, it is usually wise to have
only one independent variable at a time. If you are new to doing science projects and want to know the effect of changing
multiple variables, do multiple tests where you focus on one independent variable at a time.

The dependent variables are the things that the scientist focuses his or her observations on to see how they respond to
the change made to the independent variable. In our dog example, the dependent variable is how much the dogs eat. This
is what we are observing and measuring. It is called the "dependent" variable because we are trying to figure out whether
its value depends on the value of the independent variable. If there is a direct link between the two types of variables
(independent and dependent) then you may be uncovering a cause and effect relationship. The number of dependent
variables in an experiment varies, but there can be more than one.

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Experiments also have controlled variables. Controlled variables are quantities that a scientist wants to remain constant,
and she or he must observe them as carefully as the dependent variables. For example, in the dog experiment example,
you would need to control how hungry the dogs are at the start of the experiment, the type of food you are feeding them,
and whether the food was a type that they liked. Why? If you did not, then other explanations could be given for differences
you observe in how much they eat. For instance, maybe the little dog eats more because it is hungrier that day, maybe the
big dog does not like the dog food offered, or maybe all dogs will eat more wet dog food than dry dog food. So, you should
keep all the other variables the same (you control them) so that you can see only the effect of the one variable (the
independent variable) that you are trying to test. Similar to our example, most experiments have more than one controlled
variable. Some people refer to controlled variables as "constant variables."

In the best experiments, the scientist must be able to measure the values for each variable. Weight or mass is an example
of a variable that is very easy to measure. However, imagine trying to do an experiment where one of the variables is love.
There is no such thing as a "love-meter." You might have a belief that someone is in love, but you cannot really be sure,
and you would probably have friends that do not agree with you. So, love is not measurable in a scientific sense; therefore,
it would be a poor variable to use in an experiment.

Examples of Variables

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9/4/2019 Variables in Your Science Fair Project

Independent
Variable Dependent Variables Controlled Variables
Question
(What I (What I observe) (What I keep the same)
change)

The faucet
How much water Water faucet Water pressure, or how much the water is "pushing"
flows through a opening
Amount of water flowing, measured in
faucet at (closed, half "Different water pressure might also cause different amounts of water to
liters per minute
different open, fully flow and different faucets may behave differently, so to ensure a fair test, I
openings? open) want to keep the water pressure and the faucet the same for each faucet
opening that I test."

Temperature of Stirring
Does heating Type of sugar
the water
water allow it to Amount of sugar that dissolves
measured in
dissolve more completely, measured in grams "More stirring might also increase the amount of sugar that dissolves, and
degrees
sugar? different sugars might dissolve in different amounts, so to ensure a fair test I
Celsius
want to keep these variables the same for each cup of water."

Growth of the plant, measured by Same type of fertilizer

its height Same pot size for each plant
Growth of the plant, measured by Same plant type in each pot
Amount of Same type and amount of soil in each pot
Does fertilizer the number of leaves
fertilizer, Same amount of water and light
make a plant See Measuring Plant Growth
measured in Make measurements of growth for each plant at the same time
grow bigger? (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-
grams
projects/references/measuring-plant-growth) for
"The many variables above can each change how fast a plant grows, so to
more ways to measure plant ensure a fair test of the fertilizer, each of them must be kept the same for
growth. every pot."

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9/4/2019 Variables in Your Science Fair Project

Independent
Variable Dependent Variables Controlled Variables
Question
(What I (What I observe) (What I keep the same)
change)

Same motor for every test

Does an electric Voltage of the The motor should be doing the same work for each test (turning the
motor turn faster electricity, Speed of rotation, measured in same wheel, propeller, or whatever)
if you increase measured in revolutions per minute (RPMs)
the voltage? volts "The work that a motor performs has a big impact on its speed, so to ensure
a fair test, I must keep that variable the same."

Time as an Example of an Independent Variable

In some experiments, time is what causes the dependent variable to change. The scientist simply starts the process, then observes and records data at regular intervals.

Independent
Variable Dependent Variables Controlled Variables
Question
(What I (What I observe) (What I keep the same)
change)

Use same type of candle

How fast does a Time measured, in Height of candle, measured in centimeters, at regular intervals of time (for for every test
candle burn? minutes example, every 5 minutes) Wind—make sure there is
none

The Independent Variable for Surveys and Tests of Different Groups

When a scientist performs a test or survey on different groups of people or things, those groups define the independent variable. For example:

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9/4/2019 Variables in Your Science Fair Project

Independent Variable Dependent Variables Controlled Variables

Question
(What I change) (What I observe) (What I keep the same)

Who listens to music the most: Groups receiving the survey: Amount of time that each person listens to Ask the question in exactly the same
Teenagers or their parents? Teenagers or parents music per day, measured in hours way to each individual

Either/Or (Binary) Variables

Sometimes a variable simply represents an either/or (binary) condition. For example, something might be either present or not present during an experiment.

Controlled Variables
Independent Variable Dependent Variables
Question (What I keep the
(What I change) (What I observe)
same)

Teacher location: The teacher is either in the room or not in

Same classroom
Is a classroom noisier when the the room. Loudness, measured in
Same students
teacher leaves the room? decibels
Same time of day
"The teacher's location is an either/or situation"

Same type of bike

The rider either gets wet or
Fenders: The bicycle either has fenders or it does not and tires (except for
does not.
Do bicycle fenders keep the the fenders!)
rider dry when riding through a "Many engineering projects have alternative designs with Riding at the same
"Dependent variables can
puddle? independent variables like this one (with and without speed
represent either/or situations,
fenders)." Same size and depth
too."
of puddle

Sample
Here is a sample containing the variables and hypothesis (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-fair/sample-variables-hypothesis).

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Science Fair Project Variables Checklist

For Good Variables, You Should Answer "Yes" to

What Makes for Good Variables?
Every Question

Is the independent variable measurable? Yes / No

Can you change the independent variable during the experiment? Yes / No

Have you identified all relevant dependent variables, and are they all caused by and dependent
Yes / No
on the independent variable?

Are all dependent variable(s) measurable? Yes / No

Have you identified all relevant controlled variables? Yes / No

Can all controlled variables be held at a steady value during the experiment? Yes / No

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