In an experiment to study the effects of fertilizer on plants, the fertilizer used on each plant would be
A)the dependent variable.
B)an extraneous variable.
C)an irrelevant variable.
D)the independent variable.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In this experiment, the fertilizer is being intentionally manipulated to observe its effects on the plants. Therefore, it is the independent variable. The dependent variable would be the plant growth or any other observed outcome, which is expected to be influenced by the fertilizer. An extraneous variable is one that could affect the dependent variable but is not intentionally manipulated in the experiment, and an irrelevant variable has no meaningful effect on the outcome.

In an Experiment to Study the Effects of Fertilizer on Plants