Q. 5 - Precalculus Enhanced with Graphing Utilities

Question

If $f$ is a function defined by the equation $y=f\left(x\right)$, then $x$ is called the ____________ variable and y is the ____________ variable.

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

If $f$ is a function defined by the equation $y=f\left(x\right)$, then $x$ is called the independent variable and $y$ is the dependent variable.

Step 1. Given information

If $f$ is a function defined by the equation $y=f\left(x\right)$, then $x$ is called the ____________  variable and y is the ____________ variable.

Step 2. The equation is y = f ( x )

The domain variable $\left(x\right)$ is referred to as the independent variable. The range variable $\left(y\right)$ is referred to as the dependent variable. Usually function notation is used to represent a relation which is a function. Given that relation $"f"$ is a function, it can be represented as $y=f\left(x\right)$ (stated as $"y$equals $f$ at $x"$). 

Step 3. In the given notation,

$x$ may be called the independent variable, and $y$ may be called the dependent variable.