An independent variable is the variable you have control over, what you can choose and manipulate. It is usually what you think will affect the dependent variable. In some cases, you may not be able to manipulate the independent variable. It may be something that is already there and is fixed, something you would like to evaluate with respect to how it affects something else, the dependent variable like color, kind, time.
The independent variable is the condition that you change in an experiment. It is the variable you control.
Explanation:
It is called independent because its value does not depend on and is not affected by the state of any other variable in the experiment. Sometimes you may hear this variable called the "controlled variable" because it is the one that is changed.
