Properly setting the variables is crucial to scientifically sound experiments and studies. Activity cost pools are used in activity-based costing (ABC), a common method for determining production costs. Grocery shopping is also a variable expense. Buying gas for your car each month is a variable expense, as are car repairs and maintenance. Although variable costs are quite often discretionary expenses, some may be necessities. This way, you can have a greater degree of certainty that the final difference in heights (the dependent variable) is due to which food each sunflower received (the independent variable), not differences in sunlight or water. Variable expenses are defined as such because the amount you spend may vary each month.

To allow for a proper comparison of the results, these need to be control variables-they need to be controlled, or kept the same. There are a number of other factors that could impact the growth of the plant, including things like the amount of sunlight and the amount of water. The independent variable (the factor that you change) is the brand of plant food. The dependent variable is the final height of the sunflower. Your electric bill is a variable expense, too, unless youve. They are kept the same for every test or measurement in order to make sure that the results can be compared fairly.įor example, let’s say you’re trying to figure out which brand of plant food will help a sunflower grow to the tallest height. Variable costs are unfixed, discretionary costs that include gas, clothing, entertainment, pet supplies and dining out at restaurants. Control variables are the factors that you do not change. Dependent variables are things that are affected by the changes that you make-the results of the tests (which depend on the independent variables). Independent variables are the factors that you change. There are three different types of variables: dependent variables, independent variables, and control variables. However, in scientific experiments, some variables are kept the same on purpose-such a variable is called a control variable (or sometimes simply just a control). In general, variables are called variables because they vary. So, for instance, if you’re measuring how effective a medication is, variables could include the amount of dosage, how frequently it’s taken, and the characteristics of each test subject, such as their age and weight. In the context of scientific experiments, a variable is any factor that could change or be changed.

Another word for variable costs