dependent variable
Mathematics. a variable in a functional relation whose value is determined by the values assumed by other variables in the relation, as y in the relation y = 3x2.: Compare independent variable (def. 1).
Statistics. (in an experiment) the event studied and expected to change when the independent variable is changed.: Compare independent variable (def. 2), control variable (def. 1).
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Origin of dependent variable
1Words Nearby dependent variable
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use dependent variable in a sentence
The dependent variable — the thing that may change in response — is how dirty the food gets.
The thing that may change in response is the dependent variable.
British Dictionary definitions for dependent variable
a variable in a mathematical equation or statement whose value depends on that taken on by the independent variable: in "y = f(x)", "y'"is the dependent variable
psychol statistics the variable measured by the experimenter. It is controlled by the value of the independent variable, of which it is an index
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for dependent variable
[ dĭ-pĕn′dənt ]
In mathematics, a variable whose value is determined by the value of an independent variable. For example, in the formula for the area of a circle, A = πr2, A is the dependent variable, as its value depends on the value of the radius (r). Compare independent variable.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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