Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

In an experiment there should be variables; I can't find them... can someone please help me to find the independent and dependent variables.

Here is the URL for the project to assist our Experts in offering some advice as you try and determine what the variables are in the project:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... l?from=AAE

alexpark0606 wrote:In an experiment there should be variables...

Agreed, but what made you think there was an actual fully developed scientific experiment in this project area writeup? The project idea author followed the standardized Science Buddies writeup format which utilizes an "Experimental Proceedure" heading without explaining the statistical nature of these kinds of projects.

This writeup is simply a description of how you might use a particular public data base to statistically test some correlation hypothesis that you come up with and end up with a statistical answer in this particular public data base population. The statistical result might come up with there is an insufficient statistical sample size to even run the experiment, there is [or isn't] a statistically significant correlation, or there isn't a sufficiently large sample to determine statistical significance.

If there are any Science Buddies experts in this area, they are probably over in the Life Science forum. I'll request the moderator to move your question over there.

Hi alexpark0606,

Although I understand your confusion, the fun thing about doing an independent project is that you get to change what you want to change. Research isn't always about following a protocol; you can learn so much more by being curious and changing variables based on your questions.

Hope that helps!

-Sam

I am still lost... from what I can tell there are no variables... I really am having trouble.

Hi alexpark0606,

The point of research is to explore an idea that has never been tested before. You do not have to follow that procedure exactly. You are free to make a procedure related to that and see what happens. That includes making up your own variables.

-Sam

Hi Alex,

I noticed that you have posted this question on more than one thread. To help the experts assist you, it is best to keep posting in the same thread for related questions.

To help you better understand the nature of variables in experiments, check out the explanation of variables on the Science Buddies web site:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... bles.shtml

Now, when you look at the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project, you can think about what you might use as your independent variable (the one you change) and your dependent variable or response variable (the one that changes in response to the independent variable. You can pick the independent variable, such as what type of cancer to examine. The dependent variable may be what genes are overexpressed for that type of cancer.

Does that help?

Heather