Every day at lunch, Vicky swims laps in the pool for one hour. The faster her speed, the more laps she is able to swim in the hour. $s =$ the speed at which Vicky swims $l =$ the number of laps Vicky is able to swim in one hour Which of the variables is independent and which is dependent? $\newline$ Choices: $\newline$ $[A] s \text{ is the independent variable and } l \text{ is the dependent variable }$ $\newline$ $[B] l \text{ is the independent variable and } s \text{ is the dependent variable }$

Full solution

Q. Every day at lunch, Vicky swims laps in the pool for one hour. The faster her speed, the more laps she is able to swim in the hour.

s =

the speed at which Vicky swims

l =

the number of laps Vicky is able to swim in one hour Which of the variables is independent and which is dependent?

\newline

Choices:

\newline

[A] s \text{ is the independent variable and } l \text{ is the dependent variable }

\newline

[B] l \text{ is the independent variable and } s \text{ is the dependent variable }

Understand relationship between variables: Understand the relationship between the variables. The speed at which Vicky swims $s$ determines how many laps she can swim in one hour $l$ . This implies that the number of laps depends on the speed.
Define independent variable: Define the independent variable. The independent variable is the one that is changed or controlled in a scientific experiment to test the effects on the dependent variable. In this case, Vicky's speed $s$ is what can be changed or controlled, making it the independent variable.
Define dependent variable: Define the dependent variable. The dependent variable is the one that is tested and measured in a scientific experiment. The number of laps Vicky swims $l$ is the outcome that changes in response to the speed, making it the dependent variable.
Choose correct answer: Choose the correct answer based on the definitions of independent and dependent variables. Since $s$ is the independent variable and $l$ is the dependent variable, the correct choice is ＂ $s$ is the independent variable and $l$ is the dependent variable.＂