independent variable

noun — 2 senses

independent variable

noun
1

Algebra, Mathematics, Sciences In an equation, any variable whose value is not dependent on any other in the equation.

  • In the equation z = x² + y, x and y are the independent variables.
2

Sciences The variable that is changed or manipulated in a series of experiments.

Related terms
argument, parameter
Coordinate terms
control variable, dependent variable

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.