Scientists want to determine whether chemical X, a component of fertilizer, is harmful to fish. They treat fish in the laboratory with increasing amounts of the chemical for one week and then measure their viability. What is the experimental variable for this experiment?

Question

Scientists want to determine whether chemical X, a component of fertilizer, is harmful to fish.  They treat fish in the laboratory with increasing amounts of the chemical for one week and then measure their viability. What is the experimental variable for this experiment? ​

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Chemical X is the experimental variable because it is the independent variable that is being manipulated to determine its effect on the dependent variable (fish viability).

Scientists Want to Determine Whether Chemical X, a Component of Fertilizer