Direct or inverse proportion?

Sheet A

1. For each set of values:

 use a graph to show the values are directly proportional
 find the constant of proportionality and thus write an equation linking x and y
 find the missing value in the table.

a. x y b. x y
0 0 0 0
1 3 2.5 10
2 6 5 20
3 9 7.5 30
4 12 10 40
10 100

c. x y d. x y
-0.2 -0.1 -4 -4.8
-0.1 -0.05 -2 -2.4
0 0 5 6
0.4 0.2 10 12
0.8 0.4 12 14.4
10 0.6

2. x and y are directly proportional. When x = 0.15, y = 15. Find the constant of
proportionality, k, and write an equation linking x and y.

3. For each set of values:

 show that the values are inversely proportional
 find the constant of proportionality and thus write an equation linking x and y
 find the missing value in the table.

a. x y b. x y
1 1 1 50
2 0.5 2 25
3 0.333... 4 12.5
4 0.25 10 5
2 20

c. x y d. x y
0.2 4 -2 -30
0.4 2 -3 -20
2 0.4 -5 -12
8 0.1 -12 -5
-0.1 90

4. x and y are inversely proportional. When x = 3, y = 4.5. Find the constant of

proportionality, k, write an equation linking x and y, and hence find the value of x when y
is 2.

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 Direct or inverse proportion?
Sheet B

1. For each set of values, determine whether they are directly proportional, inversely
proportional, or neither. If x and y are proportional, find an equation linking them.

a. x y b. x y
0 5 0 0
1 2 1 1.5
2 8 2 3
3 6 3 4.5
4 9 4 6

c. x y d. x y
0 1 1 25
1 2 2 12.5
2 3 5 5
3 4 10 2.5

e. x y f. x y
7 350 1 1
9 450 2 2
11 550 3 4
13 650 4 8

2. f is directly proportional to v. When v = 2.5, f = 1.5. Find f when v = 10.

3. g is inversely proportional to h. When g = 10, h = 4. Find g when h = 1.

4. r is inversely proportional to s. When r = 8, s = ½. Find s when r = 5. Explain why we

cannot find s when r = 0.

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 Direct or inverse proportion?
Extension sheet

5ml of paint is required to cover a square tile with side 10cm.

10cm

10cm
10cm
20cm

10cm

20cm

How much paint would be required for a square tile with side 20cm?

Complete the table to show how much paint is required for each size of a square tile:

Length of tile (cm) Amount of paint (ml)

10
20
30
40
50

Explain how this shows the amount of paint required is not proportional to the length of the tile.

Suggest what is proportional to the amount of paint needed, and form an equation to link the
two.

Think up scenarios giving the following relationships:

1 1
yx y y  x2 y
x x2

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 Direct or inverse proportion?

Teaching notes
An accompanying PowerPoint, with worked examples, is available from Teachit Maths
(www.teachitmaths.co.uk, Quick search ‘22321’).
Sheet A addresses direct and inverse proportion separately (suitable after PowerPoint slides 7
and 12), Sheet B asks mixed questions, and the Extension sheet could provide homework.

Answers – Sheet A

1. Each set of values produces a graph with a straight line going through the origin.

a. k 3 y  3x x  10 b. k 4 y  4x y  100
y  30 x  25

c. 1 1 x  10 d. k  1 .2 y  1.2 x y  0 .6
k  y x
2 2 y5 x  0 .5

2. y 15
k   100 y  100 x
x 0.15

3. Students should show xy for each pair of numbers gives the same value, k.

a. k 1 1 y2 b. k  50 50 x  20
y y
x x  0 .5 x y  2 .5

c. k  0 .8 4 x  0.1 d. k  60 60 x  90
y y
5x y  8 x 2
y
3

4. 13.5 27 27 3
k  xy  3  4.5  13.5 y  y  2, x  6
x 2x 4 4

Answers – Sheet B

1. (X means the values are not in proportion)

a. X b. direct y  1. 5 x
k  1. 5

c. X d. inverse 25
y
k  25 x

e. direct y  50 x f. X
k  50

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 Direct or inverse proportion?
2. f 1 .5 f  0 .6 v v  10 , f  6
k    0 .6
v 2. 5

3. k  gh  10  4  40 40 h  1 , g  40
g
h

4. 1 4 4
k  rs  8  4 s r  5, s 
2 r 5

We are unable to divide by 0. If r  0 , then s   .

Extension sheet

The amount of paint required is directly proportional to the area of the tile, which is the length
of the tile squared: p  l 2 .

1 l2
k  therefore p  .
20 20

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 What do these all have in common? Learning objectives

Apples cost 12p each. x y

I buy x apples. -3 -9
They cost y pence in
• Understand the terms direct proportion and indirect
total. -2 -6 proportion.
-1 -3
y 0 0
y 1 3
• Work out whether two quantities are directly or
inversely proportional.
2 6
x
3 9
x y = 7.2x • Find an equation linking two quantities which are
directly or inversely proportional.
When x increases, y increases.
y and x are in proportion.
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Direct proportion
If two values are in direct proportion, as one value
increases, the other increases at the same rate.

For example:

Two pencils cost 10p

Direct proportion ×2
Four pencils cost 20p
×2

×3 ×3
Six pencils cost 30p
×½ ×½
One pencil costs 5p
×0 ×0
Zero pencils cost 0p

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When y is directly proportional to x ... Examples of direct proportion

we write y  x
s 1 2 3 4 6 12 Are s and t directly
t 5 10 15 20 30 60 proportional?
if one value is zero, the other is zero, t
5 5 5 5 5 5
if one value doubles, the other doubles, s
if one value trebles, the other trebles ...
y t
is constant, therefore t  s
their graph is a straight line going s
through the origin
(in fact, t  5s )
x
the ratio between x and y is constant:
We could also show that the
y (k is called the ‘constant
k therefore y  kx graph is a straight line
x of proportionality’)
going through the origin:
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 Examples of direct proportion
p and q are directly proportional. When q is 7, p is 28.
a) Find the constant of proportionality, k.
b) Write an equation linking p and q.
c) When q is 3, find p.
d) When p is 1.6, find q.

p  q therefore p  kq c) p  4 q Inverse proportion

writing this  4  3  12
p
a) k  equation helps
q us remember if
28 we need to d) p  4 q
 4 calculate p/q or
7 q/
1. 6  4 q
p
1. 6
b) p  4 q q  0. 4
4
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Inverse proportion When y is inversely proportional to x ...

k
A taxi costs £24. Complete this table to show the cost for the product of x and y is constant: xy  k therefore y 
each person as the number of passengers changes: x
Passengers (p) Cost per passenger (c) pc 1 1
this is the same as y being proportional to : y
1 £24 1 × 24 = 24 x x
2 £12 2 × 12 = 24
3 £8 3 × 8 = 24 if one value doubles, the other halves,
4 £6 4 × 6 = 24 if one value trebles, the other is divided by three ...
6 £4 6 × 4 = 24 but neither value can ever be zero, or the other would be
12 £2 12 × 2 = 24
infinite!
y
c
These values are not in direct proportion, as is not their graph is a hyperbola: a
p
constant. special curve which never quite
What value is constant? reaches either axis.
x
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Examples of inverse proportion Examples of inverse proportion

s 1 2 3 4 6 12 Are s and t inversely The time to paint a fence is inversely proportional to the
t 36 18 12 8 6 3 proportional? number of painters. Two painters (p), take 8 hours (t).
a) Find the constant of proportionality, k
ts 36 36 36 32 36 36 b) Write an equation linking p and t.
c) How long would 3 painters take to paint the fence?
t  s is not constant, so s and t are not inversely proportional. 1 k
t therefore t 
p p
1
What would need to change so t  ?
s 16 16
a) k  pt c) t  
p 3
When s  4 , t should be 9: t  s  4  9  36  2  8  16 1
 5 hours
16 3
b) t   5 hrs 20 mins
p
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 Summary
1
yx y
x
directly
y is __________ inversely
y is __________
proportional to x. proportional to x.

If one value doubles, If one value doubles,

doubles
the other __________. halves
the other __________.
k
y  kx y
x
Their graph is ... Their graph is ...
a straight line through a hyperbola (a curve
the origin. which doesn’t touch
either axis).

k is called ... the constant of proportionality.

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