Independent Variable

The independent variable is the condition that you change in an experiment. It is the
variable you control. It is called independent because its value does not depend on and is
not affected by the state of any other variable in the experiment. Sometimes you may hear
this variable called the "controlled variable" because it is the one that is changed. Do not
confuse it with a "control variable," which is a variable that is purposely held constant so
that it can't affect the outcome of the experiment.

Dependent Variable

The dependent variable is the condition that you measure in an experiment. You are
assessing how it responds to a change in the independent variable, so you can think of it
as depending on the independent variable. Sometimes the dependent variable is called the
"responding variable."

Independent and Dependent Variable Examples

 In a study to determine whether how long a student sleeps affects test scores, the
independent variable is the length of time spent sleeping while the dependent
variable is the test score.
 You want to compare brands of paper towels, to see which holds the most liquid.
The independent variable in your experiment would be the brand of paper towel.
The dependent variable would be the amount of liquid absorbed by the paper towel.
 In an experiment to determine how far people can see into the infrared part of the
spectrum, the wavelength of light is the independent variable and whether the light
is observed (the response) is the dependent variable.
 If you want to know whether caffeine affects your appetite, the presence/absence of
a given amount of caffeine would be the independent variable. How hungry you are
would be the dependent variable.
 You want to determine whether a chemical is essential for rat nutrition, so you
design an experiment. The presence/absence of the chemical is the independent
variable. The health of the rat (whether it lives and can reproduce) is the dependent
variable. If you determine the substance is necessary for proper nutrition, a follow-
up experiment might determine how much of the chemical is needed. Here, the
amount of chemical would be the independent variable and the rat health would be
the dependent variable.

Types of Variables

Variables are of two types: ‘Independent’ and ‘Dependent’ variables. Both are very
important for researchers. These are used in experiments to help examine the cause-and-
effect links.

 Independent variables are always the cause. The value of an independent variable
doesn’t change while researching.
  Dependent variables are considered as the ‘effect’. The magnitude of these depends
on the value of the independent variable.
For example: Let us say that a group of scientists has devised a research plan. They
determine how the changes in the temperature of your room affect your result.
Solution: In this case, the change in the room’s temperature is your independent variable.
You change the ambient temperature for half of the participants and make it warmer for
the other half. Your dependent variable is, let us say, math test scores. You measure the
math skills of all participants using a standardized test and check whether they differ based
on room temperature
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Genetics
Genetics is termed as the study to understand the functioning of inheritance of traits from
parents to offspring. The groundwork on which heredity stands is known as inheritance. It
is defined as the procedure by which characteristics are handed down from one generation
to the other. Gregor Johann Mendel is known as the “Father of Modern Genetics” for his
discoveries on the basic principles of heredity.

Variation, as the name suggests is the amount of dissimilarity that exists between children
and their parentages. It can be determined to keep in view the behaviouristic, cytological,
physiological, and morphological characters of individuals fitting into similar species.

Some of the major reasons that variation are

 Genetic/Chromosomal rearrangement.
 Mutated genes due to the influence of the ecosystem.
 Crossing over.
 The terms Genotype and phenotype may sound similar, but there is a huge
difference between genotype and phenotype. The genotype is a set of genes in DNA
responsible for unique traits or characteristics, while the phenotype is the physical
appearance or characteristic of an organism.

Genotype
 The human genetic code could be found by their genotype. It determines the traits
which will be expressed. Organisms that look the same do not have the same
genotype. Biological tests can determine genotype.

Phenotype
 As discussed earlier, both the genotype and phenotype sound similar but have
differences. The phenotype is determined by an individual’s genotype and
expressed genes or by visible traits, for instance, hair colour or type, eye colour,
body shape, and height. It depends on the genotype but is also influenced by
environmental factors.

Homozygous vs Heterozygous
 Humans have two sets of chromosomes. Homozygous and heterozygous are terms
that are used to describe allele pairs. Individuals carrying two identical alleles (RR
or rr) are known as homozygous. While individual organisms bearing different
alleles (Rr) are known as heterozygous.
 For example, assume the gene of hair colour has two alleles, one of the allele codes
for brown (R) and the other codes for black (r).
 Homozygous will have the same colour alleles on homologous pairs, i.e. ‘RR’ or ‘rr’,
and the heterozygous will have different alleles on homologous pair of
chromosomes, i.e., Rr.