The Fractionator Principle. The fractionator principle is one of the important concepts used in stereology. The importance of this principle cannot be overlooked. It appears in many different places. Although it looks different depending on how it is used, the principle is the same.
In mathematics, a variable whose value is determined by the value of an independent variable. For example, in the formula for the area of a circle, A = Ïr2, A is the dependent variable, as its value depends on the value of the radius (r). Compare independent variable.
a variable in a mathematical equation or statement whose value depends on that taken on by the independent variable: in y = f(x), y'is the dependent variable 2. (psychol, statistics) the variable measured by the experimenter.