parametersvariables

Parameters and variables are foundational concepts in mathematics, statistics, and computer science. The compound term parametersvariables is not a standard technical term; most discussions use the two notions separately or refer to parameterization. They describe different kinds of quantities that appear in equations, models, and programs.

In mathematics, a parameter is a quantity that remains fixed within a given context but can vary across different situations. A variable is a quantity that can take on different values. In a linear model such as y = a x + b, a and b are parameters that define the model's shape, while x is the input and y is the output; for fixed a and b, varying x traces a line.

In statistics, parameters refer to fixed, unknown quantities that describe a population, such as the true mean μ or standard deviation σ. Variables are measurements or attributes that can change from observation to observation, such as individual incomes or test scores. Data are used to estimate population parameters with statistics.

In computing, function parameters (also called formal parameters) are placeholders in a function definition that receive values when the function is called; arguments are the actual input values. Variables are named storage locations that hold data during program execution.

Understanding the distinction helps in modeling, estimation, and software design; mislabeling can lead to confusion about what is fixed and what can vary.