Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

My question for the science project is : If I place hot (or cold) water into a container, which type of container will keep the water warm (or cold) the longest?
The problem is that I'm having problems identifying the independent and dependent variable in this experiment. Please help.

Hi Laura03,

The independent variable is generally defined as the factor you are changing or testing in your experiment. The dependent variable is what "gets changed" as a result of changing the independent variable. For example, in the scenario you have, the independent variable would be the type of container, and the dependent variable would be the temperature of the water (which depends on the type of container). I would suggest that you test many different types of containers in order to have a wide comparative study, if possible.

Hope this helps, and good luck!