A control variable (or scientific constant) in

scientific experimentation An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a ...

is an experimental element which is constant (controlled) and unchanged throughout the course of the investigation. Control variables could strongly influence experimental results were they not held constant during the experiment in order to test the relative relationship of the dependent variable (DV) and independent variable (IV). The control variables themselves are not of primary interest to the experimenter.

Usage

A variable in an experiment which is held constant in order to assess the relationship between multiple variables, is a control variable.''control variable''
; Business Dictionary online; retrieved September 2015''Definitions''
Science Buddies – Science Fair Projects. A control variable is an element that is not changed throughout an experiment because its unchanging state allows better understanding of the relationship between the other variables being tested.''Control Variable Definition and Examples''
WebPage; May 2021; Helmenstine, Anne; Science Notes : Learn Science : Do Science; retrieved November 2022; In any system existing in a natural state, many variables may be interdependent, with each affecting the other. Scientific experiments test the relationship of an IV (or independent variable: that element that is manipulated by the experimenter) to the DV (or dependent variable: that element affected by the manipulation of the IV). Any additional independent variable can be a control variable. A control variable is an experimental condition or element that is kept the same throughout the experiment, and it is not of primary concern in the experiment, nor will it influence the outcome of the experiment. Any unexpected (e.g.: uncontrolled) change in a control variable during an experiment would invalidate the correlation of dependent variables (DV) to the independent variable (IV), thus skewing the results, and invalidating the working

hypothesis A hypothesis (plural hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For a hypothesis to be a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it. Scientists generally base scientific hypotheses on previous obse ...

. This indicates the presence of a

spurious relationship In statistics, a spurious relationship or spurious correlation is a mathematical relationship in which two or more events or variables are associated but '' not'' causally related, due to either coincidence or the presence of a certain third, uns ...

existing within experimental parameters. Unexpected results may result from the presence of a

confounding variable In statistics, a confounder (also confounding variable, confounding factor, extraneous determinant or lurking variable) is a variable that influences both the dependent variable and independent variable, causing a spurious association. Con ...

, thus requiring a re-working of the initial experimental hypothesis. Confounding variables are a threat to the

internal validity Internal validity is the extent to which a piece of evidence supports a claim about cause and effect, within the context of a particular study. It is one of the most important properties of scientific studies and is an important concept in reason ...

of an experiment. This situation may be resolved by first identifying the confounding variable and then redesigning the experiment taking that information into consideration. One way to this is to control the confounding variable, thus making it a control variable. If, however, the spurious relationship cannot be identified, the working hypothesis may have to be abandoned.

Experimental examples

Take, for example, the well known

combined gas law The ideal gas law, also called the general gas equation, is the equation of state of a hypothetical ideal gas. It is a good approximation of the behavior of many gases under many conditions, although it has several limitations. It was first stat ...

, which is stated mathematically as: :

\qquad \frac = k

where: : is the

pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...

: is the

volume Volume is a measure of occupied three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch). The de ...

: is the

thermodynamic temperature Thermodynamic temperature is a quantity defined in thermodynamics as distinct from kinetic theory or statistical mechanics. Historically, thermodynamic temperature was defined by Kelvin in terms of a macroscopic relation between thermodynamic wor ...

measured in

kelvin The kelvin, symbol K, is the primary unit of temperature in the International System of Units (SI), used alongside its prefixed forms and the degree Celsius. It is named after the Belfast-born and University of Glasgow-based engineer and phys ...

s : is a constant (with units of energy divided by temperature). : which shows that the ratio between the pressure-volume product and the temperature of a system remains constant. In an experimental verification of parts of the combined gas law, ( * = ), where Pressure, Temperature, and Volume are all variables, to test the resultant changes to any of these variables requires at least one to be kept constant. This is in order to see ''comparable experimental results'' in the remaining variables. If Temperature is made the control variable and it is not allowed to change throughout the course of the experiment, the relationship between the dependent variables, Pressure, and Volume, can quickly be established by changing the value for one or the other, and this is

Boyle's law Boyle's law, also referred to as the Boyle–Mariotte law, or Mariotte's law (especially in France), is an experimental gas law that describes the relationship between pressure and volume of a confined gas. Boyle's law has been stated as: The ...

. For instance, if the Pressure is raised then the Volume must decrease. If, however, Volume is made the control variable and it is not allowed to change throughout the course of the experiment, the relationship between dependent variables, Pressure, and Temperature, can quickly be established by changing the value for one or the other, and this is

Gay-Lussac's Law Gay-Lussac's law usually refers to Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac's law of combining volumes of gases, discovered in 1808 and published in 1809. It sometimes refers to the proportionality of the volume of a gas to its absolute temperature at constant pr ...

. For instance, if the Pressure is raised then the Temperature must increase.

Notes

References

External links

''Definitions''
Science Buddies – Science Fair Projects. {{DEFAULTSORT:Control variable Science experiments Variables (mathematics)