Science Fair

Variable, Independent Variable,

& Control

Independent Variable• Often called the “controlled variable”.

• The part of the experiment that is manipulated or changed by the scientist or person performing the experiment.

Dependent Variable• The part of the experiment that is affected

by the independent variable.

Control

• …or control variable

• The part of the experiment that is NOT being tested and is used for comparison.

1. Patty Power

1. The control group is group B.

2. The independent variable is the new sauce.

3. The dependent variable is the amount of gas.

4. The new sauce appears to work as it reduced the amount of gas produced in 60% of people tested.

5. They thought they were getting the new sauce as a result thought they didn’t have as much gas (PLACEBO EFFECT).

Placebo Effect

• The placebo effect is the measurable, observable, or felt improvement in health or behavior not attributable to a medication or invasive treatment that has been administered.