Independent Variable

Independent Variable

A variable in an equation that may have its value freely chosen without considering values of any other variable. For equations such as y = 3x – 2, the independent variable is x. The variable y is not independent since it depends on the number chosen for x.

Formally, an independent variable is a variable which can be assigned any permissible value without any restriction imposed by any other variable.

Table showing equations, their independent variable(s), and dependent variable: y=x²−2x+3, x²+y²=1, x=1−t², z=2x²−y³.

See also

Dependent variable