An independent variable is

An independent variable is a variable that can either be changed or controlled. We represent the independent variable as (X).

Let's look at an example.

The number or hours Mike works at Sea World in June and the amount of money he will earn on his July paycheck.

The independent variable because the amount of money he makes depends on how much money he earns.

An independent variable is the "control" of the experiment. It's also known as the x variable