Final answer:
The statement 'there are three times as many soccer fans (x) as football fans (y)' is translated into the linear equation x = 3y.
Step-by-step explanation:
To translate the given statement into a linear equation using the indicated variable names, where there are three times as many soccer fans (x) as football fans (y), we use the relation given to us. In mathematical terms, this statement can be represented as x = 3y.
Here, x is the independent variable representing the number of soccer fans, and y is the dependent variable representing the number of football fans.
We assume that for every football fan, there are three soccer fans. No further information or solving is needed as we are only setting up the equation.