What best describes the relationship between a dependent variable and an independent variable in a scientific investigation?

The independent variable is what you are changing in the experiment to get varied results. The dependent variable is the result of what you have changed. So the dependent variable depends on the independent variable. For example, if you are experimenting with the effect of water on height of a plant, the different amounts of water that you give the plant is the independent variable. The height of the plant that you measure as the result of the water is the dependent variable.