Question

A zoology student is investigating whether it is true that the gender of turtles depends on the temperature at which the turtle eggs are kept before they hatch. He will test if turtle eggs incubated at 29–30 degrees Celsius produce females, and eggs at 24–26 degrees Celsius produce males. What is the independent variable?
time
gender
species
temperature

Answer 1

species.

Answer 2

or temperature

Answer 3

You're getting a turtle no matter what, so the species isn't changing and it isn't a relevant variable in this case. You're trying to see how temperature and gender are related. Which of the following hypotheses makes the most sense?

The temperature depends on the gender of the turtle.
The gender of the turtle depends on the temperature.