controls and constants in an experiment

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What Is a Control Variable? Definition and Examples

A control variable is any factor that is controlled or held constant during an experiment . For this reason, it’s also known as a controlled variable or a constant variable. A single experiment may contain many control variables . Unlike the independent and dependent variables , control variables aren’t a part of the experiment, but they are important because they could affect the outcome. Take a look at the difference between a control variable and control group and see examples of control variables.

Importance of Control Variables

Remember, the independent variable is the one you change, the dependent variable is the one you measure in response to this change, and the control variables are any other factors you control or hold constant so that they can’t influence the experiment. Control variables are important because:

• They make it easier to reproduce the experiment.
• The increase confidence in the outcome of the experiment.

For example, if you conducted an experiment examining the effect of the color of light on plant growth, but you didn’t control temperature, it might affect the outcome. One light source might be hotter than the other, affecting plant growth. This could lead you to incorrectly accept or reject your hypothesis. As another example, say you did control the temperature. If you did not report this temperature in your “methods” section, another researcher might have trouble reproducing your results. What if you conducted your experiment at 15 °C. Would you expect the same results at 5 °C or 35 5 °C? Sometimes the potential effect of a control variable can lead to a new experiment!

Sometimes you think you have controlled everything except the independent variable, but still get strange results. This could be due to what is called a “ confounding variable .” Examples of confounding variables could be humidity, magnetism, and vibration. Sometimes you can identify a confounding variable and turn it into a control variable. Other times, confounding variables cannot be detected or controlled.

Control Variable vs Control Group

A control group is different from a control variable. You expose a control group to all the same conditions as the experimental group, except you change the independent variable in the experimental group. Both the control group and experimental group should have the same control variables.

Control Variable Examples

Anything you can measure or control that is not the independent variable or dependent variable has potential to be a control variable. Examples of common control variables include:

• Duration of the experiment
• Size and composition of containers
• Temperature
• Sample volume
• Experimental technique
• Chemical purity or manufacturer
• Species (in biological experiments)

For example, consider an experiment testing whether a certain supplement affects cattle weight gain. The independent variable is the supplement, while the dependent variable is cattle weight. A typical control group would consist of cattle not given the supplement, while the cattle in the experimental group would receive the supplement. Examples of control variables in this experiment could include the age of the cattle, their breed, whether they are male or female, the amount of supplement, the way the supplement is administered, how often the supplement is administered, the type of feed given to the cattle, the temperature, the water supply, the time of year, and the method used to record weight. There may be other control variables, too. Sometimes you can’t actually control a control variable, but conditions should be the same for both the control and experimental groups. For example, if the cattle are free-range, weather might change from day to day, but both groups have the same experience. When you take data, be sure to record control variables along with the independent and dependent variable.

• Box, George E.P.; Hunter, William G.; Hunter, J. Stuart (1978). Statistics for Experimenters : An Introduction to Design, Data Analysis, and Model Building . New York: Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-09315-2.
• Giri, Narayan C.; Das, M. N. (1979). Design and Analysis of Experiments . New York, N.Y: Wiley. ISBN 9780852269145.
• Stigler, Stephen M. (November 1992). “A Historical View of Statistical Concepts in Psychology and Educational Research”. American Journal of Education . 101 (1): 60–70. doi: 10.1086/444032

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Difference Between Constant and Control

• Categorized under Physics , Science | Difference Between Constant and Control

As scientists continue to figure out how nature works, they do so by use of experiments, with an aim of searching for cause and effect relationships. These relationships are used to explain why things happen and allow one to predict what will happen if a certain event occurs. The role of these experiments hence is to observe and measure how changes occur in relation to other things. In an experiment, the things that change are referred to as variables.  

What is a Constant?

These are values that do not change during experiments.  

For example, in an experiment where one wants to test how the growth of plants is affected by the amount of water, factors like type of soil, temperature, type of plant and sunlight all stay the same in the course of the experiment. These are hence referred to as the constants in this experiment, while the amount of water is the control.    

Other examples include freezing and boiling points of water, the speed of light,  

What is Controls?

A controlled variable is a variable that could change but is intentionally kept constant in order to clearly show the relationship between dependent and independent variables. It is also a variable that is not of primary interest and hence constitutes a third factor whose influence is to be controlled or eliminated. These variables either need to be kept constant during the experiment or be monitored and recorded. This ensures that their influence can be assessed. Most experiments have more than one control.  

An example used to explain control variable is the effect of fertilizers on a plants growth, whereby the growth of plants differs based on the amount of fertilizer used. The fertilizer, in this case, is the control variable.  

Other examples include time, pressure and temperature.

Similarities between Constant Vs. Control

• Both are important in experiments as they determine the outcome

Differences between Constant and Control

A constant variable does not change. A control variable on the other hand changes, but is intentionally kept constant throughout the experiment so as to show the relationship between dependent and independent variables.  

Primary interest

While the constant is the variable of primary interest, the control is not; hence its influence can be controlled or eliminated.  

Constant vs. Control: Comparison Table

Summary of Constant vs. Control

In an experiment, both constant and control variables are important as they influence the outcomes of the experiments.  

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Cite APA 7 Njogu, T. (2019, June 24). Difference Between Constant and Control. Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects. https://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-constant-and-control/. MLA 8 Njogu, Tabitha. "Difference Between Constant and Control." Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects, 24 June, 2019, https://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-constant-and-control/.

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What Are Dependent, Independent & Controlled Variables?

What Is a Responding Variable in Science Projects?

Say you're in lab, and your teacher asks you to design an experiment. The experiment must test how plants grow in response to different colored light. How would you begin? What are you changing? What are you keeping the same? What are you measuring?

These parameters of what you would change and what you would keep the same are called variables. Take a look at how all of these parameters in an experiment are defined, as independent, dependent and controlled variables.

What Is a Variable?

A variable is any quantity that you are able to measure in some way. This could be temperature, height, age, etc. Basically, a variable is anything that contributes to the outcome or result of your experiment in any way.

In an experiment there are multiple kinds of variables: independent, dependent and controlled variables.

What Is an Independent Variable?

An independent variable is the variable the experimenter controls. Basically, it is the component you choose to change in an experiment. This variable is not dependent on any other variables.

For example, in the plant growth experiment, the independent variable is the light color. The light color is not affected by anything. You will choose different light colors like green, red, yellow, etc. You are not measuring the light.

What Is a Dependent Variable?

A dependent variable is the measurement that changes in response to what you changed in the experiment. This variable is dependent on other variables; hence the name! For example, in the plant growth experiment, the dependent variable would be plant growth.

You could measure this by measuring how much the plant grows every two days. You could also measure it by measuring the rate of photosynthesis. Either of these measurements are dependent upon the kind of light you give the plant.

What Are Controlled Variables?

A control variable in science is any other parameter affecting your experiment that you try to keep the same across all conditions.

For example, one control variable in the plant growth experiment could be temperature. You would not want to have one plant growing in green light with a temperature of 20°C while another plant grows in red light with a temperature of 27°C.

You want to measure only the effect of light, not temperature. For this reason you would want to keep the temperature the same across all of your plants. In other words, you would want to control the temperature.

Another example is the amount of water you give the plant. If one plant receives twice the amount of water as another plant, there would be no way for you to know that the reason those plants grew the way they did is due only to the light color their received.

The observed effect could also be due in part to the amount of water they got. A control variable in science experiments is what allows you to compare other things that may be contributing to a result because you have kept other important things the same across all of your subjects.

Graphing Your Experiment

When graphing the results of your experiment, it is important to remember which variable goes on which axis.

The independent variable is graphed on the x-axis . The dependent variable , which changes in response to the independent variable, is graphed on the y-axis . Controlled variables are usually not graphed because they should not change. They could, however, be graphed as a verification that other conditions are not changing.

For example, after graphing the growth as compared to light, you could also look at how the temperature varied across different conditions. If you notice that it did vary quite a bit, you may need to go back and look at your experimental setup: How could you improve the experiment so that all plants are exposed to as similar an environment as possible (aside from the light color)?

How to Remember Which is Which

In order to try and remember which is the dependent variable and which is the independent variable, try putting them into a sentence which uses "causes a change in."

Here's an example. Saying, "light color causes a change in plant growth," is possible. This shows us that the independent variable affects the dependent variable. The inverse, however, is not true. "Plant growth causes a change in light color," is not possible. This way you know which is the independent variable and which is the dependent variable!

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Riti Gupta holds a Honors Bachelors degree in Biochemistry from the University of Oregon and a PhD in biology from Johns Hopkins University. She has an interest in astrobiology and manned spaceflight. She has over 10 years of biology research experience in academia. She currently teaches classes in biochemistry, biology, biophysics, astrobiology, as well as high school AP Biology and Chemistry test prep.

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What Is an Experimental Constant?

Explanation and Examples of Constants

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A constant is a quantity that does not change. Although you can measure a constant, you either cannot alter it during an experiment or else you choose not to change it. Contrast this with an experimental variable , which is the part of an  experiment that you change or that is affected by the experiment. There are two main types of constants you may encounter in experiments: true constants and control constants. Here is an explanation of these constants, with examples.

Physical Constants

Physical constants are quantities which you cannot change. They may be calculated or defined.

Examples: Avogadro's number, pi, the speed of light, Planck's constant

Control Constants

Control constants or control variables are quantities a researcher holds steady during an experiment. Even though the value or state of a control constant may not change, it is important to record the constant so the experiment may be reproduced.

Examples: temperature, day/night, duration of a test, pH

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