Definition

independent variable

Part of the Mathematics glossary:

An independent variable is a variable that is manipulated to determine the value of a dependent variable s. The dependent variable is what is being measured in an experiment or evaluated in a mathematical equation and the independent variables are the inputs to that measurement.

Next Steps

In a simple mathematical equation, for example:

a = b/c the independent variables, b and c , determine the value of a .

Here's a simple example:
A teacher wishes to compare the number of tardy students wearing black with the number of tardy students wearing pink. In this scenario, clothing color is the independent variable and the difference in the number of students, categorized by clothing color, is the dependent variable.

This was last updated in March 2008
Posted by: Margaret Rouse

Related Terms

Definitions

  • dependent variable

    - A dependent variable is a variable whose value depends upon independent variable s. (WhatIs.com)

  • bar graph

    - A bar graph is a pictorial rendition of statistical data in which the independent variable can attain only certain discrete values. (WhatIs.com)

  • point-to-point graph (line graph)

    - A point-to-point graph, also called a line graph, is a pictorial rendition of data in which specific values of a function are plotted as dots on a coordinate plane. (WhatIs.com)

Glossaries

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