Question

the senior class at fairfax high school is graduating. the number of students receiving diplomas dictates the duration of the graduation ceremony.
s = the number of students receiving diplomas
d = the duration of the graduation ceremony
which of the variables is independent and which is dependent?
s is the independent variable and d is the dependent variable
d is the independent variable and s is the dependent variable

Explanation:

An independent variable is the one that is not affected by other variables and is the cause, while a dependent variable depends on the independent variable (it is the effect). Here, the number of students receiving diplomas (\(s\)) determines the duration of the ceremony (\(d\))—the duration depends on the number of students. So \(s\) is independent (it can vary freely, and we can think of it as the input), and \(d\) is dependent (it changes based on \(s\), the output based on the input).

Answer:

s is the independent variable and d is the dependent variable