Yes, there are subtle differences between these two types of variables in mathematics and statistics. In mathematics, independent variables are those whose value determines the value of other variables; in statistics, they are a manipulated variable in an experiment or study whose presence or degree determines the change in the dependent variable.

François Viète was the first to write and solve general algebraic equations by introducing the systematic use of letters as algebraic symbols.

Dependent variables in mathematics are those variables whose value is determined by an independent variable; in statistics, they are the observed variables in an experiment or study whose changes are determined by the presence or degree of one or more independent variables. (For more information about variables in statistics, see “Applied Mathematics.”)