IXL | Identify independent and dependent variables

In the United States House of Representatives, the population of a state is used to calculate how many Representatives are from that state.

p = the population of a state
r = the number of Representatives

Which of the variables is independent and which is dependent?

p is the independent variable and r is the dependent variable

r is the independent variable and p is the dependent variable

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Learn with an example

question

The Clay farm sells eggs to local restaurants. The number of hens on the farm varies from month to month. The greater the number of hens on the farm, the more eggs the farm is able to produce in a month.

h = the number of hens on the farm
g = the number of eggs produced by the farm in a month

Which of the variables is independent and which is dependent?

h is the independent variable and g is the dependent variable

g is the independent variable and h is the dependent variable

key idea

There are two variables. One is called the independent variable and the other is called the dependent variable.
The variable whose value does not depend on the other variable is the independent variable. The variable whose value depends on the other variable is the dependent variable.

solution

Start by finding the dependent variable.

Since the number of eggs the farm is able to produce in a month depends on the number of hens on the farm, the number of eggs is the dependent variable. So, g is the dependent variable.

Since the number of hens on the farm does not depend on the number of eggs the farm produces in a month, the number of hens is the independent variable. So, h is the independent variable.

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Lesson: Independent and dependent variables

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