indicator variable
nounUK /ˈɪndɪkeɪtə ˈveəriəbl/
US /ˈɪndɪkeɪtər ˈveriəbl/
A special number that is 1 if something is true and 0 if it is not.
We used an indicator variable that equals 1 for rainy days and 0 for sunny days.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A variable that shows whether a condition is present or absent.
The indicator variable marked each student as either present or absent.
3. A placeholder number used in statistics to stand for a category.
Each color was turned into an indicator variable before the analysis.
4. A switch-like value that signals a yes or no state.
The program set an indicator variable to 1 when the alarm went off.