Original Project
Control of Variables
Item CV023005: In an experiment involving two variables (X and Y) that could affect the outcome of the experiment, changing X and keeping Y constant allows you to find out the effect of X on the outcome of the experiment.
A student thinks that there are two variables (X and Y) that may affect the result of her experiment.
She decides to change only variable X and let variable Y stay the same.
What can the student find out about the effects of variables X and Y?
- If variable X affects the result of her experiment.
- If variable Y affects the result of her experiment.
- If both variables X and Y affect the result of her experiment.
- She cannot find out if either variable X or variable Y affects the result of her experiment.
Answer Choice |
Overall |
Grades |
Gender |
Primary Language |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 2371 |
6–8 n = 1288 |
9–12 n = 1074 |
Male n = 1162 |
Female n = 1173 |
English n = 2083 |
Other n = 227 |
||
| A. | If variable X affects the result of her experiment. | 50% | 42% | 60% | 52% | 48% | 51% | 39% |
| B. | If variable Y affects the result of her experiment. | 14% | 15% | 14% | 14% | 14% | 14% | 17% |
| C. | If both variables X and Y affect the result of her experiment. | 28% | 33% | 21% | 26% | 30% | 28% | 29% |
| D. | She cannot find out if either variable X or variable Y affects the result of her experiment. | 8% | 10% | 5% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 15% |