vary a parameter

verb phrase

1. To deliberately change the value of one of the settings or quantities that controls a system, experiment, or model, usually in order to see how the results respond.

   B2

   transitive; verb + object

   • "We varied the temperature to see how quickly the ice melted."B1
   • "The researchers varied one parameter at a time while keeping the others constant."B2

2. In mathematics and computing, to let a quantity take different values rather than treating it as a fixed constant, so that a whole family of cases can be studied at once.

   C1

   transitive; often in the passive or progressivetechnical

   • "Here the angle is varied as a parameter, so the curve moves as it changes."B2
   • "Rather than assuming a fixed rate, the model varies this parameter systematically over a plausible range."C2