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If you change more than one independent variable and your dependent variable changes, you wont know which independent variable caused the change to occur.

eg - If I change something will I run 100m faster.

So your dependent variable is the time it takes to run 100m

If you have 2 independent variables (shoes and surface run on), you might run first in tennis shoes on grass then in football boots on tarmac.

Now say you ran faster the second time, you wont know if you ran faster because you were wearing boots, or if you ran faster because it was on tarmac or because of some boots-tarmac combination.

That's why you only change one independent variable.

Aim: Does changing X effect Y (only change X; only measure Y)

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Q: Why is it important in an ideal simple experiment to change only one variable from trial to trial?
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When is an experimental variable good and when should it be reduced or eliminated?

There are generally 3 variable in an experiment : the dependent, independent and the control variable. The independent variable is something you change in your experiment and affects the dependent variable, while the control variable is there to make sure the experiment is a fair test. (eliminate external factors) A variable is considered good when it allows you to find a relationship or to investigate your theory. eg. A simple experiment : To investigate whether length of pendulum affects the period of a pendulum. IN this case, your independent variable would be the length of pendulum(to be changed) while your dependent variable is the time taken for 1 oscillation. You can plot x-y graphs to find the relationship between the two to help you conclude your experiment. ( Wind factor should be eliminated as it will affect your readings). There is no control variable for this experiment as period is dependent only on length and gravity.(unless gravitational force changes) There are times when a variable can be affected by many other factors. So in your experiment, you might want to eliminate those factor so that you can make a conclusion.


What components should a good scientific experiment contain?

(1) singularity - it tests only one variable in the situation (2) reproducibility - it can be re-done by other scientists to verify the results (3) utility - the answer matters to human life in some way While most would agree with the first two elements of a "good experiment" listed above, I'm not sure you would find much consensus on the concept of "utility." Whether the result of an experiment is ultimately deemed "useful" to human life has little bearing on the methodology and scientific rigor with which an experiment is conducted. On the other hand, some would say that scientific integrity ("honesty") is a necessary ingredient in any good experiment, while others would say that a good experiment must either prove or disprove a hypothesis...which is, after all, the whole point of conducting the experiment in the first place.


What is a variable and a control?

Without a control and variable you can not say what caused any results, and you can not know if the results would have been the same without factors from the experiment. You need a control and variable for comparison purposes also.


How might you test your hypothesis?

It's simple construct an experiment!


What happens if more than one variable is changed in an experiment?

If a researcher fails to control the relevant variables in an experiment, you could end up changing a bunch of different variables in an experiment, and you wouldn't be able to tell which variable is responsible for the results of the experiment.

Related questions

What is the difference between a controlled experiment and a variable?

In a control, the scientists know what to expect what will happen in an experiment... it is used for comparison.A variable is pretty simple. All it is, is the thing in the experiment that changes. There is usually only one of them in an experiment, and there are two kinds... Im sure you are familiar with them.-An independent variable is when the scientist controls what they are looking for-A dependent variable scientists dont control directly, but they measure for results


How many variables can be tested in an experiment?

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When is an experimental variable good and when should it be reduced or eliminated?

There are generally 3 variable in an experiment : the dependent, independent and the control variable. The independent variable is something you change in your experiment and affects the dependent variable, while the control variable is there to make sure the experiment is a fair test. (eliminate external factors) A variable is considered good when it allows you to find a relationship or to investigate your theory. eg. A simple experiment : To investigate whether length of pendulum affects the period of a pendulum. IN this case, your independent variable would be the length of pendulum(to be changed) while your dependent variable is the time taken for 1 oscillation. You can plot x-y graphs to find the relationship between the two to help you conclude your experiment. ( Wind factor should be eliminated as it will affect your readings). There is no control variable for this experiment as period is dependent only on length and gravity.(unless gravitational force changes) There are times when a variable can be affected by many other factors. So in your experiment, you might want to eliminate those factor so that you can make a conclusion.


Why is it important to in an ideal simple experiment to change one variable from trial to trial?

If you change more than one independent variable and your dependent variable changes, you wont know which independent variable caused the change to occur. eg - If I change something will I run 100m faster. So your dependent variable is the time it takes to run 100m If you have 2 independent variables (shoes and surface run on), you might run first in tennis shoes on grass then in football boots on tarmac. Now say you ran faster the second time, you wont know if you ran faster because you were wearing boots, or if you ran faster because it was on tarmac or because of some boots-tarmac combination. That's why you only change one independent variable. Aim: Does changing X effect Y (only change X; only measure Y)


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What components should a good scientific experiment contain?

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