In mathematics, a changing quantity (one that can take various values), as opposed to a
constant. For example, in the algebraic expression
y = 4
x3 + 2, the variables are
x and
y, whereas 4 and 2 are constants.
A variable may be dependent or independent. Thus if
y is a
function of
x, written
y =
f(
x), such that
y = 4
x3 + 2, the domain of the function includes all values of the
independent variable x while the range (or co-domain) of the function is defined by the values of the
dependent variable y.
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