What is the difference between an independent variable and a dependent variable

An independent variable can be changed and the dependent variable cannot.

An independent variable is a component in an experiment that does not change while the dependent variable relies on the independent variable. For example, if you have an experiment on plant growth and you want to determine how the amount of water affects the plant, the amount of water is the independent variable while the plant growth is the dependent variable because it is the component that changes based on the independent variable.