In this context, the independent variable, which is represented on the x-axis, would be temperature. The dependent variable, represented on the y-axis, would be number of paper clips.
So, the complete answer would be: The temperature would be the independent variable located on the x-axis. It is the variable selected and maintained by the experimenter. The y-axis would be labeled with number of paper clips as the dependent variable. It reflects the experimenter's choice of conditions to test.