Eli5 is the independent variable independent because it cannot change?
In: Biology
So a function, f, produces the dependent variable, y, based on the value of the independent variable, x.
f(x)=y Run x through function f to find y.
The independent variable can change, hence why it’s called variable.
You can also write a function to give x from y. This is the “inverse function” of f, called f^-1
f^-1 (y)=x Here x and y have swapped around: now y is the independent and x is the dependent.
In general, to decide which of two quantities you want to compare should be written as the independent or the dependent variable, think about cause and effect.
Say you want to know a rocket’s height based on the time after launch. It makes intuitive sense that the rocket’s height is dependent on time, and time is independent of what the rocket is doing. So we put time as the independent variable, and the height as the dependent.
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