How do i pick which is my independent and dependent variable

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KCAND360
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 2:52 pm
Occupation: Student 7th grade
Project Question: MW2/video games
Project Due Date: February 14
Project Status: I am finished with my experiment and analyzing the data

How do i pick which is my independent and dependent variable

Post by KCAND360 »

How do i pick my independent and dependdent variable


My hypothesis is:
If the volume of an X-Box 360 is off while a person plays MW2, then the KDR (Kill to Death Ratio) will go down. :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:
JasonS
Former Expert
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2010 2:15 pm
Occupation: Electrical Engineer
Project Question: n/a
Project Due Date: n/a
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: How do i pick which is my independent and dependent vari

Post by JasonS »

Hey KCAND360,

The indpendent variable is the part of the experiment that you control or influence. The dependent variable is the outcome of the experiment which will (but not always) be affected by the independent variable.
Finally there are control variables that you as the person running the experment want to ensure are not changed. In your experiment:

Independent Variable = Volume of an X-Box 360 (suggestion instead of volume simply being off or on you may want to decrease volume from high to medium to low to off to get more data)

Dependent Variable = KDR (Kill to Death Ratio) in MW2

Example Control Variables = Skill level of video game player, amount of rest of video game player, distractions in the room, etc.

Here is a good website that explains the definitions:

http://www.cool-science-projects.com/in ... ables.html

Cool experiment. Have fun!

- jason
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