1. Experimental Design

2. I. Parts of an Experiment
A. Independent variable: the factor changed in an experiment
B. Dependent variable: any factors changing in response to the independent variable
C. Controlled variable: any factors held constant during the experiment
Example: Plant Growth in response to amount of water

3. II. Line Graphs A. X-axis = independent variable (“the cause”)
B. Y-axis = dependent variable (“the effect”)

4. III. Bar Graphs
A. Used to represent data for different categories (usually non-numerical)
B. Y-axis should still have dependent variable

5. IV. Best Fit Lines
A. To show a trend, you can draw a line on your graph that best represents the general pattern of the points
B. Your line does not have to go through any of the points