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independant and dependant variables

twomorrow i have my skill A for biology. I cant get my head around independant and dependant variables.

We got told to have at least 5 independant variables and have some dependant variables

wat dos that mean ?

Reply 1

lukeD

I don't do biology so this might not be very helpful...

Independent variables are the factors in an experiment which you control e.g. how much mass you attach to the bottom of a spring

Dependent variables are the measurements you take (they 'depend' on the controlling factors) e.g. how much the spring extends by

Reply 2

oxymoron

So in biology, in order to get meaningful results you must take at least 5 measurements. For example, if you are measuring the rate of an enzyme at different temperatures, the dependent variable is the temperature as you are controling what temperature to do the experiment at - so you need to choose a range of at least 5 different temperatures at which to measure the rate (the independent variable).

Reply 3

papz_007

so if measurin the rate different substrate concentration and i did 1cm^3 2cm^3 3cm^3 4cm^3 and 5cm^ that would be 5 different independent variable values ... wat about the dependant variable? wat would that be?