force = mass × acceleration.
Two marbles of different masses are released at the top of a ramp and roll down the ramp. The student measures the distance each marble travels. The procedure is repeated three times and the average distance traveled by each marble is calculated. The summarized data are shown in the table.
Mass of
Marble
(g) Height
of Ramp
(cm) Average Distance
Traveled
(cm)
3 10 53.3
5 10 86.3
Which of the following is the independent variable in the investigation?
Multiple choice question.
cross out
A)
ramp height
cross out
B)
marble mass
cross out
C)
number of tests
cross out
D)
distance traveled by marble
1 answer
In the given investigation, the independent variable is the one that is being changed or controlled to test its effects on the dependent variable.
In this case, the student is changing the mass of the marbles while keeping the height of the ramp constant to see how it affects the distance traveled. Therefore, the independent variable is:
B) marble mass
