How do you identify a variable in an experiment?

Answer 1

In an experiment, usually one item will cause something else to vary in an observable manner and sometimes predictable way.

A variable will be recognized as any factor, trait, or condition of the experiment that exists in varying amounts or types. There are independent variables, dependent variables, and controlled variables.

An independent variable is one that is changed in an experiment. In order to perform a fair and subjective test one should consider only one independent variable during their experiment. As changes are made in the quantities of our independent variable, changes should be apparent that make observations different from other quantities of the independent variable.

The focus of these observations is on the depenedent variable to see how it responds to the change made to the independent variable quantities. The new value of the dependent variable is caused by and depends on the value of the independent variable and is what we know as cause and effect.

Not to be forgotten, we have the controlled variable which is a quantity that is maintained at a constant in the experiment so as to eliminate any confusion with cause and effect observations.