Meaning & use
dependent variable
In an experiment or equation, the variable whose value changes in response to another variable.
See it in a sentence
In this experiment, plant growth is the dependent variable affected by sunlight exposure.
Researchers measured test scores as the dependent variable influenced by hours of sleep.
A note on using this word
The dependent variable is usually plotted on the y-axis and contrasts with the independent variable, which the researcher controls.
Words with a similar meaning
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