For example, they represent a ratio of the part of the overall differentiation of the White Cell Count scores that can be accounted for by gender to the overall differentiation of the White Cell Count scores. This ratio is usually called a ratio of explained variation to total variation. In statistics, the term explained variation does not necessarily imply that we "conceptually understand" it. It is used only to denote the common variation in the variables in question, that is, the part of variation in one variable that is "explained" by the specific values of the other variable, and vice versa.