Dependent Variable

Pronunciation: /dɪˈpɛn.dənt ˈvɛər.i.ə.bəl/ Explain

A dependent variable is a variable whose value depends entirely on other variables.^[3] In functions, the dependent variable is the output variable. The independent variable's value is the input on which the dependent variable depends.

Figure 1 - Graph of f(x) = x2.	In figure 1, f(x) = x2, the output variable is f(x). One can often tell which is the output variable when it is by itself on one side of the equation.
Cricket Population Year 1992 1994 1996 1998 Population 2053 1740 2741 2286 Figure 2: Table representing a function.	The table in figure 2 represents a function. The independent variable is year. This is because the year exists independently of the cricket population, and the cricket population is dependent on the year. The cricket population is the dependent variable.

References

1. McAdams, David E.. All Math Words Dictionary, dependent variable. 2nd Classroom edition 20150108-4799968. pg 58. Life is a Story Problem LLC. January 8, 2015. Buy the book
2. dependent variable. merriam-webster.com. Encyclopedia Britannica. Merriam-Webster. Last Accessed 7/3/2018. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dependent variable. Buy the book
3. Bettinger, Alvin K. and Englund, John A.. Algebra and Trigonometry. pp 53-54. www.archive.org. International Textbook Company. January 1963. Last Accessed 7/3/2018. http://www.archive.org/stream/algebraandtrigon033520mbp#page/n70/mode/1up/search/dependent. Buy the book
4. Long, Edith and Breknke, W. C.. Algebra, First Course. pg 208. www.archive.org. The Century Co.. 1913. Last Accessed 7/3/2018. http://www.archive.org/stream/algebrafirstcour00longrich#page/208/mode/1up/search/dependent. Buy the book

More Information

• McAdams, David E.. Function. allmathwords.org. All Math Words Encyclopedia. Life is a Story Problem LLC. 1/22/2010. http://www.allmathwords.org/en/f/function.html.

Cite this article as:

McAdams, David E. Dependent Variable. 4/20/2019. All Math Words Encyclopedia. Life is a Story Problem LLC. http://www.allmathwords.org/en/d/dependentvariable.html.

Image Credits

• All images and manipulatives are by David McAdams unless otherwise stated. All images by David McAdams are Copyright © Life is a Story Problem LLC and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Revision History

4/20/2019: Updated equations and expressions to the new format (McAdams, David E.)
12/21/2018: Reviewed and corrected IPA pronunication. (McAdams, David E.)
7/4/2018: Removed broken links, updated license, implemented new markup, implemented new Geogebra protocol. (McAdams, David E.)
7/12/2007: Initial version. (McAdams, David E.)