entering the equation
Joining the calculation
Entering the equation describes something or someone becoming a relevant factor in a situation or decision.
The phrase draws from mathematics, where variables must be included in an equation to affect its outcome.
In everyday use, it signals that a new consideration has emerged that changes how people think about a problem: Cost wasn't entering the equation until the budget cuts were announced.
The expression often appears in negative form—doesn't enter the equation—to dismiss something as irrelevant.
- coming into playBecoming a factor
- coefficientNumber multiplying a variable
- considerationCareful thought or compensation
- variableProne to fluctuation
- formulaFixed method or notation
perspective · trade-off · decision-making · intervention · substitution · assumption · influence · contribution · causality · weighing in · balancing act · prioritization · implication · parameter · hypothesis · integration · wild card · game changer
entering the equationbowing out
Voluntarily stepping aside
withdrawing · stepping back · sitting out · opting out · disengaging
entering the equationnot counting
enter, entering, entered, enters, entries, equation, equations, equate, equated