In an experiment, overweight mice are put on an exercise wheel every day for an hour. The scientist is exploring whether running in the morning, afternoon, or night leads to the greatest weight loss. The caloric intake of the mice remains the same. What's the dependent variable in this experiment?

Question

Question 12 options:

A)

The size of the exercise wheel

B)

The caloric intake of the mice

C)

The time of day that the mice ran

D)

The weight loss of the mice

Answer 1

The dependent variable in this experiment is the outcome that the scientist is measuring to see how it responds to changes in the independent variable. In this case, the dependent variable is:

D) The weight loss of the mice.

This is because the scientist is assessing how the time of day that the mice exercise affects their weight loss, while the caloric intake and size of the exercise wheel are controlled variables.