A family made the observation that more expensive brands of popcorn seem to produce more popped kernels than cheaper brands of popcorn. In order to test this hypothesis, the family conducted an experiment in which they followed the procedures below: The family bought 2 differing brands of popcorn to test: Wilbur Bockenreder Popcorn and PopWhisper. They measured 1 cup of kernels and popped 5 bowls of each type of popcorn. They ensured they popped the popcorn for the same amount of time, used the same wattage microwave, and did not have any other ingredients added to the kernels (butter, etc). They counted and recorded the number of unpopped kernels in each of the 10 bowls. As they analyzed the data collected, they were able to conclude that their initial hypothesis was supported. They formed the conclusion that the more expensive brand of popcorn popped more kernels than the cheaper brand of popcorn. From this experiment, let's answer some questions. Identify the independent variable.