What is a Variable?
Mathematically, a variable represents an unknown number, unknown value, or unknown quantity. Variables are particularly important in algebraic expressions. For example, x+9=4 is a linear equation where x is a variable, where 9 and 4 are constants.
Variables are quantities that can be changed or that aren’t fixed by the mathematical operation. In algebra, we usually express an unknown number using the terms ‘x’ and ‘y’. However, you can choose any alphabet you like.
In this article, we will discuss what a variable in Math is, types of variables, such as dependent variables and independent variables.
Definition:
In Mathematics, a variable is a numeric value or a number expressed by an alphabetic character. Equations in algebra use variables to represent unknown quantities.
Any alphabet from a to z can be used for these variables. In equations, variables commonly used are ‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’, ‘x’, ‘y’, and ‘z’.
Making arithmetical calculations with variables as though they were express numbers allows one to deal with a range of issues in a single calculation. The ordinary illustration is a quadratic recipe, which allows one to explain each quadratic condition simply by substituting the numerical estimates of the coefficients of the offered condition to the variables within it.
In math, variables are important. Regularly, a function y = f(x) includes two variables, y, and x, or what is y speaking to individually the quality and the contention of the function. The expression “variable” originates from the way that when the argument (additionally called the “variable of the capacity”) shifts, then the quality changes accordingly.
Types of variables in Math:
The variables can be classified into the following categories.
- Dependent Variable
- Independent Variable
Let’s discuss the two types of variables in detail.
Dependent Variables:
A dependent variable is characterized as a variable whose quality depends on the estimation of another variable. Therefore, the estimation of the word variable depends on the free variable of the math condition.
Take the condition y = 4x + 3 as an example. As a result of these adjustments, the estimation of the variable ‘y’ changes. This is how the variable ‘y’ is defined as a dependent variable. A portion of the cases that include subordinate variables is discussed in the point of interest below.
Independent Variables:
In algebra, an independent variable refers to a variable whose values are independent of changes. When x and y are two variables in an algebraic equation and every value of x has a corresponding value of y, then the ‘y’ value is said to be a function of the x value, which is called an independent variable, and the ‘y’ value is called a dependent variable.
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Equations with variables
You will learn how to solve equations containing unknown variables in this section. The multiplication table will be used to solve equations mentally, and you will also learn how to identify a solution to an equation with given numbers as well as how to use inverse operations. By using the multiplication table, you can solve an easy equation in your head.
Example:
8 x =64
8 . x = 64
By what number should you multiply 8 to get a product of 64? According to the multiplication table, the answer is 8.
8 . 8 = 64
Solving an equation means figuring out what value of x (or any other variable) makes the statement true (satisfies the equation).
