In our example, there are three independent variables in the demand function, and one dependent variable. If any one of the independent variables changes, so does the value of quantity demanded. It is often desirable to concentrate on the relationship between the dependent variable and just one of the independent variables at a time, which allows us to represent the relationship between those two variables in a two-dimensional graph (at specific levels of the variables held constant). To accomplish this goal, we can simply hold the other two independent variables constant at their respective levels and rewrite the equation. In economic writing, this “holding constant” of the values of all variables except those being discussed is traditionally referred to by the Latin phrase ceteris paribus (literally, “all other things being equal” in the sense of “unchanged”). In this reading, we will use the phrase “holding all other things constant” as a readily understood equivalent for ceteris paribus.