Dependent 

and Independent variables are variables in mathematical modeling, statistical

modeling and experimental sciences. Dependent variables receive this name because, in an
experiment, their values are studied under the supposition or demand that they depend, by some
law or rule (e.g., by a mathematical function), on the values of other variables. Independent
variables, in turn, are not seen as depending on any other variable in the scope of the experiment in
question.[a] In this sense, some common independent variables are time, space, density, mass, fluid
flow rate,[1][2] and previous values of some observed value of interest (e.g. human population size) to
predict future values (the dependent variable).[3]
Of the two, it is always the dependent variable whose variation is being studied, by altering inputs,
also known as regressors in a statistical context. In an experiment, any variable that the
experimenter manipulates[clarification needed] can be called an independent
variable. Models and experiments test the effects that the independent variables have on the
dependent variables. Sometimes, even if their influence is not of direct interest, independent
variables may be included for other reasons, such as to account for their
potential confounding effect.