Question

Paula is participating in the bicycle race at her school's annual sports event. Paula's friend Nancy is timing her as she rides her bike around a track. Paula's average speed is 11 miles per hour. If the formula distance = speed × time gives the quantitative relationship between time and distance, which is the independent quantity, time or distance? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

Because Paula's cycling speed is constant, the time she spends riding is the independent value and the distance she travels is the dependent value.

Explanation:

just answered it and this is the answer I got. also ik im late but i just wanted to help out

Answer 2

time

Explanation:

Any of the three variables in the equation could be the independent variable. The way it is written, it is considered that distance is a function of speed and time, hence distance is the dependent variable. Since speed is given as a constant, the only remaining variable, time, is the independent variable.

_____

If you rearrange the equation to ...

... speed = distance/time

or

... time = distance/speed

then you can say that one (or both) of the variables on the right side of the equation are the independent variable(s). That is, distance or speed could be the indpendent variable, depending on the need or the use of the relation.