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Is the dna of a cow different than the dna of a chicken?
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Nancy0356
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 2:19 pm
- Occupation: Student
- Project Question: is the dna of a cow different than the dna of a chicken
- Project Due Date: 1/5/08
- Project Status: I am just starting
Is the dna of a cow different than the dna of a chicken?
for my science project i will be extracting dna from chicken and cow livers and making qualitative observations. To extract the dna I have to use an identical process on both types of livers. I don't now how to identify my dependent vs my independent variables. Do all experiment no matter what the nature is have both? Thank you.
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deleted-71256
- Former Expert
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2005 6:43 pm
- Occupation: NASA Computer & Cognitive Scientist
- Project Question: n/a
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- Project Status: Not applicable
Re: Is the dna of a cow different than the dna of a chicken?
Hi Nancy,
This is an amazing experiment, you are really lucky to be able to do this in school! I was lucky that we at least knew what DNA was back in the 1960s when I was in high school. And almost everything we were studying in biology was new to my parents.
A good introduction to variables is right here on Science Buddies -- https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... bles.shtml
Actually, to tell you truth, every year when I participate on this forum I read that introduction again as a reminder, it's really written well.
A variable is anything that varies in your experiment. You summarized everything when you said, "I have to use an identical process on both types of livers." So what you are changing deliberately -- the independent variable -- is the type of liver (cow vs. chicken). The process for carrying out the experiment will be the same each time; the experimental process specifies the controlled variables. For example, maybe the temperature or amount of material you use is the same for every test (I'd have to see the procedure to tell you more). Finally, you will be making some observations -- detecting differences between the cow and chicken materials you're testing. Those will be the dependent variables. What you observe will hopefully -- if the experiment is well designed -- depend on the type of liver (or more precisely the type of animal whose liver you are testing).
To answer your specific question: By definition if an experiment is designed to observe something it will have both independent variables (usually one) and dependent variables (what you will observe). Think of it is as a kind of "input" and "output." The experiment is a process with inputs (what you deliberately vary) and outputs (what results you are observing).
Well, this is a long answer for a short question! I hope this is helpful.
Bill
This is an amazing experiment, you are really lucky to be able to do this in school! I was lucky that we at least knew what DNA was back in the 1960s when I was in high school. And almost everything we were studying in biology was new to my parents.
A good introduction to variables is right here on Science Buddies -- https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... bles.shtml
Actually, to tell you truth, every year when I participate on this forum I read that introduction again as a reminder, it's really written well.
A variable is anything that varies in your experiment. You summarized everything when you said, "I have to use an identical process on both types of livers." So what you are changing deliberately -- the independent variable -- is the type of liver (cow vs. chicken). The process for carrying out the experiment will be the same each time; the experimental process specifies the controlled variables. For example, maybe the temperature or amount of material you use is the same for every test (I'd have to see the procedure to tell you more). Finally, you will be making some observations -- detecting differences between the cow and chicken materials you're testing. Those will be the dependent variables. What you observe will hopefully -- if the experiment is well designed -- depend on the type of liver (or more precisely the type of animal whose liver you are testing).
To answer your specific question: By definition if an experiment is designed to observe something it will have both independent variables (usually one) and dependent variables (what you will observe). Think of it is as a kind of "input" and "output." The experiment is a process with inputs (what you deliberately vary) and outputs (what results you are observing).
Well, this is a long answer for a short question! I hope this is helpful.
Bill