noun. 1  a type of structure of an organism or part of an organism in which a vertical cut through the axis in any of two or more planes produces two halves that are mirror images of each other.2  Compare bilateral symmetry. Trends. 2  a type of structure of an organism or part of an organism in which a vertical cut through the axis in any of two or more planes produces two halves that are mirror images of each other.
There is a standard method for graphing the independent and dependent variable. The x-axis is the independent variable, while the y-axis is the dependent variable. You can use the DRY MIX acronym to help remember how to graph variables: DRY MIX.
An independent variable is a variable believed to affect the dependent variable. This is the variable that you, the researcher, will manipulate to see if it makes the dependent variable change. In our example of hungry people throwing a ball, our independent variable is how long it's been since they've eaten.