A student wanted to look at germination of five different seeds in vermiculite (a soil additive). He planted the seeds in identi
cal containers and left them together in full sunlight. He gave each seed the same amount of water and charted the germination of each seed type. What is the independent variable in this experiment? (a) vermiculite (b) germination rate (c) seed type (d) light (e) amounts of water
An independent variable is the one which can be altered or manually manipulated in an experiment. The effect of such manipulation can be examined on the dependent variable of the experiment. The dependent variable cannot be manipulated in an experiment instead it is the outcome of the experiment.
The seed type is the correct answer because the seed type can vary and the effect of which can be examined on the seed germination process and rate of seed germination.
