What role does the variable i play in the snippet where it is incremented by 1 after each loop iteration?

The variable i serves as a counter variable in the loop snippet. Counter variables are commonly used in programming to keep track of the number of iterations in a loop. Each time the loop runs, i is incremented by 1, which allows the program to count how many times the loop has executed. This is a fundamental concept in programming, especially in control structures like for-loops or while-loops, where it's essential to monitor how many times a process has occurred.

In this context, i likely starts at an initial value (often zero) and increases throughout each iteration until a certain condition is met, allowing the programmer to control the loop's execution precisely. This is crucial for tasks that require repetition, whether for processing elements in an array, counting events, or generating output based on the number of iterations.

The other terms do not align with the specific function that i is serving in this case; an input variable would typically refer to data provided to a function or method, a fixed variable suggests a variable whose value does not change, and an output variable would hold a result generated by an operation or computation. Thus, identifying i as a counter variable accurately captures its role in facilitating the looping process.