Manipulated and Responding Variables

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By the end of this PowerPoint you will be a PRO at manipulated and responding variables! Woohoo!

To become a pro, follow along the PowerPoint with your notes, filling in when needed. Its that easy!

If you work hard to understand the problems and think deeply like a 4th grader, you will have no problem with this! If you act like a 2nd grader and just click through the slides being silly, you WILL be confused! The type of student that you are is YOUR choice!

Turn to the page that says “Scientific Variables” at the top. You

will fill this out first.It looks like this!

Manipulated and Responding Variable

Think of the manipulated and responding variable as something similar to cause and effect: the manipulated variable is the cause and the

responding variable is the effect. Keep that in mind!

Variables

There are 2 main types of variables:

Manipulated Variable: The variable that is changed by the scientist; the ‘I control’ variable

Responding Variable: The variable that might change because of what the scientist changes – what is being measured

Variables

There are 2 main types of variables:

Manipulated Variable: The variable that is changed by the scientist; the ‘I control’ variable

The MV (manipulated variable) is what you do!

Responding Variable: The variable that might change because of what the scientist changes – what is being measured

The RV (responding variable) is what happens.

Lets give it a try:

I scared my brother, and he screamed.

What did YOU do?

Lets give it a try:

I scared my brother, and he screamed.

What did YOU do? YOU scared your brother.

So, what happened because of your action?

Lets give it a try:

I scared my brother, and he screamed.

What did YOU do? YOU scared your brother.

So, what happened because of your action? Your brother screamed.

Lets give it a try:

I scared my brother, and he screamed.

This is the manipulated variable. You controlled or manipulated what happened:I scared my brother.

This is the responding variable. This happened in response to what you did.My brother screamed.

Ready for another one?

I was so tired, I overslept.

What did you control?

What happened because of that?

I was so tired, I overslept.

What did you control? You controlled how tired you were.

What happened because of that?Because of how tired you were, you overslept.

I was so tired, I overslept.

What did you control? You controlled how tired you were.

Manipulated variable: How tired I was

What happened because of that? Because of how tired you were, you overslept.

Responding variable: I overslept.

Cause: I was tired Effect: I overslept.

Ready for another one?

I played video games instead of studying for my science test, so I failed.

What did you control or manipulate?

What happened because of that?

I played video games instead of studying for my science test, so I failed.

What did you control or manipulate?You controlled not studying.

What happened because of that?You failed.

I played video games instead of studying for my science test, so I failed.

What did you control or manipulate? You controlled not studying.

Manipulated Variable: I played video games instead of studying.What happened because of that? You failed.

Responding Variable: I failed by test.

Give this to your sub. I will check it and have you glue it back in!

Now try the worksheet that says “Manipulated and Responding Variable Practice” at the top

It looks like this

You need to do the worksheet on your own, but click through the slides for some extra help

Plant Example

You want to find out how light affects plant growth. Every day you measure the plant to see how much it has grown.

Manipulated Variable:What is controlled or

manipulated here? What acts on its own without you doing

anything to it?

Responding Variable:What happened because of the manipulated variable?

Plant Example

You want to find out how light affects plant growth. Every day you measure the plant to see how much it has grown.

Manipulated Variable:What is controlled or

manipulated here? What acts on its own without you doing

anything to it?

The amount of sunlight is the manipulated variable.

Responding Variable:What happened because of the manipulated variable?

The plant growth is the responding variable.

Electromagnet Example

An investigation was done with an electromagnetic system made from a battery and wire wrapped around a nail. The number of

paper clips the electromagnet could pick up was measured.

Manipulated Variable:What is controlled or

manipulated here? What acts on its own without you doing

anything to it?

Responding Variable:What happened because of the manipulated variable?

Egg Example

The higher the temperature of water, the faster an egg will boil.

Manipulated Variable:What is controlled or

manipulated here? What acts on its own without you doing

anything to it?

Responding Variable:What happened because of the manipulated variable?

Depth Example

The temperature of water was measured at different depths of a pond. (depth= how deep a pond is).

Manipulated Variable:What is controlled or

manipulated here? What acts on its own without you doing

anything to it?

Responding Variable:What happened because of the manipulated variable?

When you finish your sheet, put your name on the sheet and turn it into the substitute. The

sub will give you further directions. We will go over this tomorrow!