Assignment: independent and dependent variables
below is a list of variable quantities that you might encounter in your everyday life. use these
variables to answer the questions below.
variables in the real world
amount of money
distance (in miles or kilometers)
gallons of gasoline
number of hours
number of minutes
number of laps
number of seconds
salary
savings account balance
temperature
time
weight (in pounds or kilograms)
i. using real-world variables to create functions
write three (3) scenarios that describe three different real-world functions. each scenario
should use two of the variables from the list above, combined with the phrase depends
on.
for each scenario, identify the independent and dependent variables in the function, and
assign the letters x and y to represent each variable quantity. then create a set of at
least five ordered pairs in (x, y) form with values that make sense for the function.
example:
jason’s salary depends on the number of hours he works.
the independent variable is the number of hours and the dependent variable is salary.
let x = the number of hours worked
let y = jason’s salary
the set of ordered pairs {(1, 10), (2, 20), (3, 30), (4, 40), (5, 50)} can be used to represent
the function, assuming jason earns $10 per hour.
2. creating your own variables
write two (2) scenarios that describe two different real-world functions. think of your own
variables that are not included in the above list. as you did for the other functions, identify the
independent and dependent variables and assign the letters x and y to represent each
variable quantity. then create a set of at least five ordered pairs in (x, y) form with values
that make sense for your function.