Question

meredith completed an investigation involving earthworms. she placed a worm on a moist paper towel and carefully marked the position of the worm on the paper towel. she placed a cardboard box over the worm and paper towel. she left it undisturbed for 10 minutes. she removed the box and noted that the worm had not moved from its original position. after 10 minutes she shined a flashlight and then took a flash light and shined it on the worm for 10 minutes. after the end of the 10 minutes she measured the distance the worm moved in cm. is this an example of an experiment? explain. a. yes, it is an experiment because it has a dependent variable. b. yes, it is an experiment because it has a control group. c. no, it is not an experiment because she compared two situations and had no control group. d. no, it is not an experiment because it had no dependent variable.

Explanation:

An experiment has a control group and at least one experimental group. The control group serves as a baseline to compare the effects of the independent variable. In this case, Meredith has a group where the worm is undisturbed (control - no light shone on it) and a group where light is shone on the worm (experimental). The dependent variable is the distance the worm moves. Since she has these key elements of an experiment, it is an experiment.

Answer:

A. Yes, it is an experiment because it has a dependent variable.