A group of high school students conducted a scientific investigation in their biology class to study the effect of different types of fertilizer on the growth of tomato plants. Which of the following statements about their investigation is correct?

Question

A the type of fertilizer is dependent variable and independent variable is the growth of the tomato plants.

Answer 1

The statement is incorrect. In a scientific investigation:

• The independent variable is the factor that is manipulated or changed by the experimenter—in this case, the type of fertilizer used.
• The dependent variable is what is measured or observed in response to changes in the independent variable—in this case, the growth of the tomato plants.

So, the correct relationship is that the type of fertilizer is the independent variable, and the growth of the tomato plants is the dependent variable.