Name: __________________________ Class: _______

Variations
Consider baking a cake for an afternoon tea.
To have a bigger cake (of same density), we would need to have more ingredients. In this case, we say
that the size of the cake varies directly as the amount of ingredients.
We will want to invite some guests to have tea and share the cake. To invite more guests, we would
need a bigger cake and more seats for everyone. We can then say that the number of guests varies
jointly as the size of the cake and the number of seats. It’s a direct relation involving more than two
variables.
Once the cake is baked, the number of guests then determines the size of each serving of the cake
(given that everyone gets an approximately equal portion). The more guests there are, the smaller each
serving is. We say that the serving size varies inversely as the number of guests.
Familiarisation practice
Identify each of the following statements as a direct, inverse, or joint variation by filling in the blank
with the words directly, inversely, or jointly.

1. Intensity of sound varies ___________ with distance away from the object creating the sound.
2. The weight of a body varies ____________ with the square of the distance it is from the center of
the earth.
3. The heat loss through a glass window of a house on a cold day varies ____________ as the difference
between the inside and outside temperatures and the area of the window. The heat loss varies
____________ as the thickness of the window glass.
4. The amount of sales tax paid varies ____________ as the total of the goods purchased.
5. The time to complete a job varies ____________ as the number of workers working.
6. The intensity of a light varies ____________as the square of the distance from the light source.
7. The time it takes to complete a specific trip varies ____________ as the speed of travel.
8. The cost of gas on a trip varies ____________ with the length of the trip.
9. The number of congruent marbles that fits into a box is ____________ proportional to the cube of
the radius of each marble.
10. The number of people invited to dinner varies ___________ as the amount of space each guest has
at the table.
11. The time it takes to harvest a crop varies ____________ with the number of people assisting in the
harvest.
12. The time it takes a runner to complete a lap on the track varies ____________ as the speed of the
runner.
13. The cost of a cake varies ____________as the cake’s thickness and the square of the radius.

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14. The number of calories burned during exercise varies ____________ with the time spent
performing the exercise.
15. The power generated by a windmill is ____________ proportional to the cube of the wind speed.

Mathematically, we can write equations for variations.

For instance, referring to the earlier example of baking a cake for afternoon tea, we can write
V = kx
where V is the volume of the cake, x is the amount of ingredients and k is the constant of
proportionality.
We can also write G = kVS
where G is the number of guests invited, V is the volume of cake, S is the number of seats and k is
the constant of proportionality.
𝑘
Finally, we will write 𝑉 = 𝐺

where V is the volume of the cake, G is the number of guests and k is the constant of proportionality.
Combined and Partial variations
In addition, there is Combined variation and Partial variation, and the different types are summarised
in the table below.

Type of Variation Formula Example Wording

𝑦 𝑦 The value of y varies directly with x, y is directly

Direct 𝑦 = 𝑘𝑥 or 𝑥1 = 𝑥2
1 2 proportional to x

The value of y varies inversely

𝑘
Inverse (Indirect) 𝑦= or xy = k with x, y is inversely proportional to x, y is
𝑥
indirectly proportional to x

Like direct variation but involves

Example: y varies jointly with x and the square
Joint more than two variables.
of z
Example: y = kxz2
Involves a combination of direct
variation or joint variation, and
Example: y varies jointly as x and w and inversely
Combined indirect variation.
𝑘𝑥𝑤 as the square of z
Example: 𝑦 = 𝑧2

Two variables are related by the

sum of two or more variables (one Example: y is partly constant and partly varies
Partial
of which may be a constant). directly with x
Example: 𝑦 = 𝑘1 𝑥 + 𝑘2

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Familiarisation practice
Write the equation described by each of the statements below.
16. The volume, v, of a balloon is directly proportional to the cube of the balloon’s radius, r.
______________________________

17. The number, n, of grapefruit that can fit into a box is inversely proportional to the cube of the
diameter, d, of each grapefruit. ______________________________

18. The time, t, that a plane spends on the runway varies inversely as the take-off speed.
______________________________

19. The weight, w, that a column of a bridge can support varies directly as the fourth power of its
diameter, d, and inversely as the square of its length, l. ______________________________

20. The radiation, r, from the decay of plutonium is directly proportional to the mass, m, of the sample
tested and inversely proportional to the square of the distance, d, from the detector to the sample.
______________________________

21. Question 15 _____________________________

22. Question 2 _____________________________

23. Question 6 _____________________________

Write a statement describing the type of variation for each of the following given equations. k is the
constant of proportionality.

𝑘
24. 𝑉 = 𝑡 2 _____________________________________________________________________

𝑘𝑚1 𝑚2
25. 𝑔 = _____________________________________________________________________
𝑟2

26. 𝑆 = 𝑘(𝑎 + 𝑏)ℎ _______________________________________________________________

𝑙
27. 𝑇 = 𝑘√𝑔 _____________________________________________________________________

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Write an equation for and solve each of the following word problems.

28. The cost, c, in cents of lighting a 100-watt bulb varies directly as the time, t, in hours, that the light
is on. The cost of using the bulb for 1,000 hours is $0.15. Determine the cost of using the bulb for
2,400 hours.

29. The power, P, in watts of an electrical circuit varies jointly as the resistance, R, and the square of
the current, C. For a 240-watt refrigerator that draws a current of 2 amperes, the resistance is 60
ohms. What is the resistance of a 600-watt microwave oven that draws a current of 5 amperes?

30. The force needed to keep a car from skidding on a curve varies directly as the weight of the car
and the square of the speed and inversely as the radius of the curve. Suppose a 15000 N force is
required to keep a 1200 kg car travelling at 50 km/h from skidding on a curve of radius 130 m.
How much force is required to keep a 1400 kg car travelling at 70 km/h from skidding on a curve
of radius 100 m?

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Other typical “Variations” word problems. Solve by forming equations using variations.
31. If 16 women working 7 hours day can paint a mural in 48 days, how many days will it
take 14 women working 12 hours a day to paint the same mural?

32. The area of a triangle is jointly related to the height and the base. If the base is increased
by 40% and the height is decreased by 10%, what will be the percentage change of the area?

33. Given that p varies inversely as the root of q, what is the change in p when q is
(i) doubled (ii) halved?

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