Name: _______________________
Experiment Design
A hypothesis _____________________________________________________________________.
An independent variable ___________________________________________________________.
A dependent variable _____________________________________________________________.
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Instructions: Read each question below and develop a hypothesis. Then, identify the independent
and dependent variable.
1. What effect does playing video games have on test scores?
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
2. What effect does amount of water have on plant growth?
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
3. Does a student’s bedtime effect a student’s energy level?
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
4. What effect does exercise have on strength?
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
5. Does a person’s height effect their ability to play basketball?
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
Unpublished Work © 2016 Kaitlyn Mahan
Name: _______________________
Now try identifying the question that each of the following hypotheses answers. Then, identify the
dependent and independent variable for each.
6. If workers wash their hands, then sickness will decrease.
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
7. If an area becomes polluted, then the wildlife population will decrease.
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
8. If the price of chocolate decreases, then people will buy more.
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
9. If temperature decreases, then less people will go to the beach.
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
10. If lithium batteries are used, a cell phone will stay charged longer.
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
In the space below, design your own experiment by creating a question to investigate,
developing a hypothesis, and identifying the independent and dependent variables.
Unpublished Work © 2016 Kaitlyn Mahan
Name: _______________________
Answer Key:
A hypothesis is a proposed solution to a scientific problem that must be tested.
An independent variable is the experimental factor that is manipulated by the scientist.
A dependent variable is the experimental factor that responds to changes in the
independent variable/the factor that a scientist is measuring.
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For 1-5 hypotheses may vary and for 6-10 questions may vary, but sample answers are provided:
1) Playing video games will cause a student’s test scores to increase.
Independent: amount of video games played
Dependent: test scores
2) The more water a plant receives, the more it will grow
Independent: amount of water
Dependent: plant height
3) The later a student goes to sleep, the less energy they will have.
Independent: Bedtime
Dependent: energy levels
4) The more exercise a person gets, the stronger they will be
Independent: amount of exercise
Dependent: strength
5) The taller a person is, the better they will be at basketball
Independent: Height
Dependent: Basketball ability
6) What effect does hand washing have on sickness?
Independent: Hand washing
Dependent: Sickness
7) How does pollution effect wildlife population?
Independent: amount of pollution
Dependent: wildlife population
8) How does price effect the amount of chocolate people buy?
Independent: Price
Dependent: Amount of chocolate bought
9) What effect does temperature have on the amount of people at the beach?
Independent: Temperature
Dependent: Number of people at beach
10)How does battery type effect cell phone life?
Independent: Battery
Dependent: Length of cell phone charge
Unpublished Work © 2016 Kaitlyn Mahan