What are the independent variables and dependent variables in an experiment to study the temperature change throughout the day?

In an experiment to study the temperature change throughout the day, the independent variable and the dependent variable are (the independent variable is the time of day and the dependent variable is the temperature).

Independent variables are factors or conditions that researchers actively manipulate and lead to changes in dependent variables, so independent variables are regarded as the causes of dependent variables. Dependent variable is a functional relationship that a certain quantity changes with the change of one (or several) variables.

In the specific experimental fields such as biology, the understanding of the dependent variable is that the dependent variable is the quantity that changes directly (determined by the purpose) because of the change of the independent variable.

Extended data

The temperature in a certain place changes periodically not only because of the change of solar radiation, but also because of the movement of the atmosphere rather than periodically. The change of actual temperature is the result of the interaction between these two aspects. If the former plays a big role, the temperature changes periodically; On the contrary, it shows an aperiodic change. However, from the general trend and most cases, the periodicity of daily and annual temperature changes is still the main one.

Various components in the heat balance, such as radiation difference, latent heat and sensible heat exchange, are affected by different control factors. Astronomical factors such as latitude and season have obvious zonal and periodic characteristics. However, the nature, topography and weather conditions of the underlying surface, such as cloud cover and atmospheric humidity, all have non-zonal characteristics. At the same time, the influence of these factors is different in different places, so the temperature distribution caused by the change of heat budget is also uneven.