Graphing Relationships

Independent Variable: Variable that causes a change in another variable Sometimes called the manipulated variable Always on the x-axis What the experimenter sets up ahead of time!

Dependent Variable: Variable that is changed by another variable Sometimes called the responding variable Always on the y-axis What is being measured or your results of an experiment!

M I X D R Y manipulatedindependent x-axis dependent responding Y-axis

Growth (cm) Temperature Independent Variable Dependent Variable Temperature Growth (cm)

Temperature Time (min) Independent Variable Dependent Variable Time (min) Temperature

Graphing Relationships

X Y or X YExample  As x increases, y increases  As x decreases, y decreases

X Y or X YExample  As x increases, y decreases  As x decreases, y increases 

Example  Repeating pattern: increasing and decreasing 

X Y STS Y X STSExample  As x increases, y stays the same  As y increases, x stays the same 