24 Chapter24 458-471

Direct and inverse proportion
Puzzle 1
In a biology experiment, a bean shoot grows by 35 mm in 5 days. How much
would it be expected to grow in 7 days?
Puzzle 2
For a high altitude expedition to the Himalayas, a group of eight mountaineers
plan to take bottled oxygen to breathe while they are sleeping. Their oxygen
supply is enough to last them for 12 nights. But before they start, two are ill and
leave the expedition. How many nights will the oxygen last the remaining
mountaineers?
Puzzle 3
Nine lumberjacks can chop 6 piles of logs in 20 minutes. How long would it
take for 18 lumberjacks to chop 15 piles of logs?
Puzzle 4
A farmer sees 10 crows perched on a fence. He shoots one. How many remain?
Puzzle 5
It takes 10 monkeys 10 minutes to eat 10 bananas. How long does it take
1 monkey to eat 1 banana?
CHAPTER 24
In this chapter you will learn how to:
construct formulae and solve problems using direct proportion
construct formulae and solve problems using inverse proportion
understand graphical representations of proportion.
You will also be challenged to:
investigate planets and their orbits.
Starter: A sense of proportion
458
24_Chapter24_458-471.qxd 12/1/11 3:47 PM Page 458
24.1 Direct proportion
459
Suppose two variables are related in such a way that one of them is a constant
multiple of the other, for example y 3x.
Then y is said to be directly proportional to x.
The constant multiplier, in this case 3, is the constant of proportionality.
Direct proportion can be indicated by the symbol
, so y
x is simply a short
way of writing y is directly proportional to x. Algebraically, you would write
y kx, where k represents the constant of proportionality.
EXAMPLE
Two quantities, x and y, are such that y
x.
a) Write an algebraic formula for y in terms of x.
b) When x 4, y 10. Find the constant of proportionality.
c) Using your formula, work out (i) the value of y when x 6 and (ii) the
value of x when y 8.
SOLUTION
a) y kx
b) Using x 4 and y 10:
10 4k
k
1
4
0
k 2.5
Thus y 2.5x
Sometimes one variable is directly proportional to the square of another. This
situation can be developed in the same way, though the relationship between
the original variables is in this case no longer linear.
EXAMPLE
y is directly proportional to the square of x. When x is 10, y is 300.
a) Obtain a formula for y in terms of x.
b) Use your formula to find the value of y when x is 20.
c) Use your formula to find the value of x when y is 675.
SOLUTION
a) y is directly proportional to the square of x, that is, y kx
2
When x is 10, y is 300, so:
300 k 10
2
300 100k
k
3
1
0
0
0
0
3
Therefore y 3x
2
Substitute x 10 and y 300 into the equation y kx
2
in order to find the value of k.
c) (i) When x 6:
y 2.5x
2.5 6
15
(ii) When y 8:
8 2.5x
x
2
8
.5
3.2
Chapter 24: Direct and inverse proportion
460
b) When x 20:
y 3x
2
3 20
2
3 400
1200
Some questions will ask you to formulate the proportional equation from
information given in words. You might also find that the constant of
proportionality is a fractional amount: in that case, use a fraction rather than a
decimal approximation. The next example demonstrates how this works.
EXAMPLE
The weight, Wkg, of a spherical garden ornament is directly proportional to the
cube of its diameter, d cm. An ornament of diameter 20 cm weighs 2 kg.
a) Find a formula for W in terms of d.
b) Find the weight of an ornament of diameter 15 cm.
c) Tony struggles to lift an ornament weighing 30 kg. Work out the diameter
of this ornament. Give your answer correct to the nearest centimetre.
SOLUTION
a) Since W is directly proportional to the cube of d:
Wkd
3
When d 20, W2
2 k 20
3
2 8000k
k
80
2
00
k
40
1
00
so W
40
d
0
3
0
b) When d 15:
W
4
1
0
5
0
3
0
3
4
3
0
7
0
5
0
0.84375
So weight of a 15 cm ornament: So diameter of the ornament:
0.84 kg (2 d.p.) 49 cm (to nearest cm)
c) When y 675:
6753x
2
x
2
67
3
5
225
x 225
15 or 15
c) When W30:
30
40
d
0
3
0
d
3
30 4000
120 000
d
3
120 00 0
49.324 241 48
461
EXERCISE 24.1
1 y is directly proportional to x, and y 21 when x 7. Find the value of y when x 13.
2 y is directly proportional to x, and y 15 when x 6. Find x when y 40.
3 Each of the tables below shows a set of matching x and y values, where y is directly proportional to x.
Find a formula for y in terms of x, and work out the missing values in each case.
a) b)
c) d)
4 y is directly proportional to x, and it is known that y 10 when x 15.
a) Obtain an equation for y in terms of x.
b) Use your equation to find the values of:
(i) y, when x 60 (ii) x, when y 25.
5 y is directly proportional to x
2
, and it is known that y 20 when x 10.
a) Obtain an equation for y in terms of x.
b) Use your equation to find the values of:
(i) y, when x 30 (ii) x, when y 125.
6 y is directly proportional to the square of x, and y 16 when x 2. Find y when x 3.
7 y is directly proportional to the cube of x, and y 50 when x 5. Find y when x 8.
8 Dave is working out different ways of travelling round Europe during his gap year. He is making maps
showing the cities he might visit. The time, T minutes, that it takes Dave to draw a map is directly
proportional to the square of the number of cities, c, he puts on the map. A map with 8 cities takes
10 minutes to draw.
a) Find a formula for T in terms of c.
b) Work out how long it would take to draw a map with 12 cities.
c) Dave eventually spent an hour and a half making his map. How many cities did he decide to include?
9 My computer has a program that can work out the decimal value of to a large numbers of digits. You
can specify the number of digits required. The time it takes is directly proportional to the square of the
number of digits specified.
The computer can work out to 5000 significant figures in exactly half a second.
a) Find a formula for the number of digits, n, that the computer can work out in t seconds.
b) Use the formula to find out how long it would take to calculate to one million digits.
c) How many digits can the computer work out in 10 minutes?
10 Square carpet tiles are sold in three sizes small, medium and large. The cost of a carpet tile is directly
proportional to the square of the diagonal dimension of the tile.
Small tiles cost 2.70 each and have a diagonal of length 15 cm.
a) A medium tile has diagonal of length 20 cm. Work out its cost.
b) A large tile costs 10.80. Work out the length of its diagonal dimension.
x 1 2 3
y 2 4
x 1 3 30
y 12 18 120
x 12 18 102
y 3 7
x 2 8
y 5 35
462
24.2 Inverse proportion
Consider a rectangle whose area is fixed at 20 cm
2
. Here are some possible
dimensions for the rectangle:
Notice that, as one dimension goes down in size, the other one increases.
The product of the two dimensions remains constant, that is, xy 20,
where x and y are the length and breadth of the rectangle respectively.
You could also write this as y
2
x
0
. This type of relation is called
inverse proportion.
You could write y
1
x
. More formally, you would write y
k
x
,
where k is the constant of proportionality.
EXAMPLE
Two quantities x and y are such that y is inversely proportional to x.
When x 20, y 6.
a) Find a formula connecting x and y.
b) Work out the value of y when x 40.
c) What is the value of x when y is 2?
SOLUTION
a) Let y
k
x
. Substitute x 20, y 6 into this to obtain:
6
2
k
0
k 20 6
k 120
Thus the required formula is y
12
x
0
b) When x 40:
y
12
x
0
1
4
2
0
0
y 3
20 1 20
10 2 20
5 4 20 10 cm
2 cm
5 cm
4 cm
20 cm
1 cm
c) When y is 2:
y
12
x
0
2
12
x
0
2x 120
x
12
2
0
x 60
24.2 Inverse proportion
463
As with direct proportion, some inverse proportion problems can involve
powers such as squares.
EXAMPLE
A scientist has squirted a droplet of oil on to the surface of a container of water.
The oil has formed a circular patch, and is slowly expanding. The thickness of
the circular patch of oil is inversely proportional to the square of its radius.
When the patch has radius 3 cm, its thickness is 60 microns
(1 micron 1 10
6
m). At any time, the radius is r cm and the thickness
is d microns.
a) Write down a formula connecting d and r.
b) Find the thickness of the patch when the radius is 6 cm.
c) The scientist hopes to end up with an oil patch that is exactly 1 micron thick.
What will the radius of the circular patch become if she can achieve this aim?
SOLUTION
a) Since d is inversely proportional to r squared, we have d
r
k
2
With r 3 and d 60:

d
r
k
2
60
9
k
k 9 60
k 540
Therefore the required formula is d
5
r
4
2
0
b) When r 6,
d
5
6
4
2
0
5
3
4
6
0
15 microns
c) When d 1:
1
5
r
4
2
0
r
2
540
r 540
23.2 cm (correct to 3 s.f.)
464
EXERCISE 24.2
1 y is inversely proportional to x, and y 20 when x 5. Find the value of y when x 4.
2 y is inversely proportional to x, and y 12 when x 1. Find x when y 4.
3 Each of the tables below shows a set of matching x and y values, where y is inversely proportional to x.
Find a formula for y in terms of x, and work out the missing values in each case.
a) b)
c) d)
4 r is inversely proportional to t, and r = 7 when t 42.
a) Obtain an equation for r in terms of t.
b) Use your equation to find the values of (i) t, when r 14, (ii) r, when t 49.
5 p is inversely proportional to s, and it is known that p 12 when s 15.
a) Obtain an equation for p in terms of s.
b) Use your equation to find the values of (i) p, when s 9, (ii) s, when p 60.
6 y is inversely proportional to the square of x, and y 9 when x 16. Find y when x 8.
7 y is inversely proportional to the cube of x, and y 1 when x 4. Find x when y 8.
8 Light intensity follows an inverse square law, that is, the intensity of light is inversely proportional to the
square of the distance to the source of the light.
A lamp is at a distance of 10 metres from a light detector, and it produces an intensity reading of 300 units.
a) Find the intensity reading for a similar lamp, at a distance of 16 metres.
b) How distant would the lamp need to be to in order to produce an intensity reading of 500 units?
9 A bowling machine is able to simulate the action of a fast bowler at cricket. The machine can project
cricket balls at a batsman. The velocity, v km/h, at which a ball is projected is inversely proportional to the
mass, mkg, of the ball.
A regular cricket ball has a mass of 0.156 kg. The machine can project it at 54 km/h.
a) Write a formula to express v in terms of m.
b) A lightweight ball has a mass of 0.144 kg. How fast can the machine project the lightweight ball?
10 During the run-up to an election, a statistician is trying to forecast what percentage of the votes will be cast
for each party. She takes a sample of voters, and uses their responses to make her forecast. The statistician
knows that her forecast will only be accurate to within a certain amount, known as the standard error. The
size of the standard error is inversely proportional to the square root of the number of voters in the sample.
When a sample of 1067 voters is taken, the standard error is 3%.
The statistician wants to improve her accuracy.
Work out the number of voters to be sampled if the standard error is to be reduced to:
a) 2%
b) 1%.
x 1 30
y 60 12
x 10 40
y 45 9
x 4 10
y 5 1
x 1 5
y 1 4
24.3 Graphical representation of direct and inverse proportion
465
24.3 Graphical representation of direct and inverse
proportion
Look at the three graphs below.
Do you think any of them indicate that x and y are in direct proportion?
All three graphs are linear, but only b) shows direct proportion, since the other
two do not pass through the origin.
If y is directly proportional to x, then the graph of y against x must be a
straight line passing through the origin.
Now look at the three graphs below.
Do you think any of them indicates that x and y are in inverse proportion?
All three graphs show that y decreases as x increases, but only f ) does so in a
way that matches the graph of y
1
x
.
This distinctively shaped graph is called a hyperbola.
Note that e) shows a constant rate of decrease of y as x increases, but this is not
the same as inverse proportion.
y
x O
a)
y
x O
b)
y
x O
c)
y
x O
d)
y
x O
e)
y
x O
f)
466
EXAMPLE
Look at the graphs and equations below. Only one of them is an example of y
being directly proportional to x. Decide which one it is, giving a graphical
explanation for your choice.
a) y 3x
2
b) y 10 x
c) y 2x d) y x 2
SOLUTION
For direct proportion, the graph of the equation must be a straight line through
the origin.
a) y 3x
2
b) y 10 x
c) y 2x
d) y x 2
Thus y 2x is the case where y is proportional to x
1 1 0
2
4
6
2
y
x
2 6 2 0
4
8
12
2
6
10
10 4 8
y
x
2 2 0
2
4
6
4
y
x
4 2
O
2
4
6
8
10
6
y
x
This passes through the origin but is not
a straight line, due to the square term.
This is a straight line but does not pass
through the origin it has a y intercept of 10.
y 2x is of the form y kx, so it indicates direct
proportion. Its graph is a straight line through the origin.
This is a straight line but does not pass through the
origin it has a y intercept of 2.
Review exercise 24
467
EXERCISE 24.3
Copy these six sketch-graphs and equations into your book.
Alongside each, write either Direct Proportion, Inverse Proportion or Neither.
REVIEWEXERCISE 24
1 y is directly proportional to x, and y 21 when x 7. Find the value of y when x 13.
2 y is inversely proportional to x, and y 8 when x 4. Find the value of y when x 16.
2
, and y 1 when x 5. Find the value of y when x 15.
4 y is inversely proportional to x
3
, and y 40 when x 2. Find the value of y when x 1.
5 Hookes Law says that the tension, T, in a stretched string is directly proportional to its extension, x.
A certain string has a tension of 20 units when its extension is 30 units.
a) Write down a formula to express T in terms of x.
b) Find the tension T when the extension is 36 units.
c) Work out the extension x when the tension is 48 units.
6 The periodic time, T seconds, that it takes a pendulum to complete one swing is directly proportional to the
square root of the pendulums length, l cm. A pendulum of length 25 cm has a periodic time of 1 second.
a) Write a formula for T in terms of l.
b) Find the periodic time for a pendulum of length 35 cm.
0 0.5 1 1.5
y
1
2
3
4
x
1 2 3 4 5 6
y
O
1
2
3
4
5
6
x O
1 2 3 4
x
y
1
2
3
4
5
6
1 2 3
1 2 3 4 5 6
y
O
1
2
3
4
5
6
x O
1 2 3 4
x
y
1
2
3
4
5
6
5 6
1 1 0 2 3 4 5 6
x
y
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
4
7 A weight is hung at the end of a beam of length L.
This causes the end of the beam to drop a distance d. d is directly proportional to the cube of L.
d 20 when L 150.
a) Find a formula for d in terms of L.
b) Calculate the value of L when d 15. [Edexcel]
8 y is inversely proportional to x
2
. y 3 when x 4.
a) Write y in terms of x.
b) Calculate the value of y when x 5. [Edexcel]
2
. When x 2, y 36.
a) Express y in terms of x.
z is inversely proportional to x. When x 3, z 2.
b) Show that z cy
n
, where c and n are numbers and c > 0.
(You must find the values of c and n.) [Edexcel]
10 y is inversely proportional to x. When x 3, y 24.
a) Write a formula for y in terms of x.
Hence, or otherwise,
b) (i) calculate the value of y when x 6
(ii) calculate the value of x when y 4.8. [Edexcel]
11 d is directly proportional to the square of t. d 80 when t 4.
a) Express d in terms of t.
b) Work out the value of d when t 7.
c) Work out the positive value of t when d 45. [Edexcel]
12 The force, F, between two magnets is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, x,
between them. When x 3, F 4.
a) Find an expression for F in terms of x.
b) Calculate F when x 2.
c) Calculate x when F 64. [Edexcel]
468
L
d
Review exercise 24
469
13 A car travelling at a speed of V metres per second has a stopping distance of d metres.
The straight-line graph of
V
d
against V has been drawn on the grid.
The car travels at a speed of 18 ms
1
.
a) Use the straight-line graph to find the stopping distance of the car.
b) By first finding the equation of the line, obtain a formula for d in terms of V.
14 The shutter speed, S, of a camera varies inversely as the square of the aperture setting, f.
When f 8, S 125.
a) Find a formula for S in terms of f.
b) Hence, or otherwise, calculate the value of S when f 4. [Edexcel]
1
5
2
3
4
10 15 20 25 30
d
V
O V
470
Key points
1 When y is directly proportional to x, we can write y kx where k is a constant.
The graph of y against x will then be a straight line through the origin:
2 When y is inversely proportional to x, we can write y
k
x
where k is a constant.
The graph of y against x will then be a curve (more particularly, a hyperbola):
IGCSE questions will often tell you that y is directly (or inversely) proportional
to some power of x, and will give you an x value and a corresponding y value.
You should set up an equation using k (e.g. y kx
2
) and then use the given
x and y values to determine the value of k. This formula can then be used to answer
the rest of the question.
y
x O
y
x O
Internet Challenge 24
471
Planet Mean distance, d, from the Sun Orbital period, T (years)
(EarthSun 1 unit)
Mercury 0.387
Venus 0.723
Earth 1 1
Mars 1.524
Jupiter 5.203
Saturn 9.529
Uranus 19.19
Neptune 30.06
Pluto 39.53
Internet Challenge 24
The planets and their orbits
The table shows information about the orbits of the nine planets in our Solar System.
The time T years it takes for a planet to complete one orbit around the Sun is directly proportional to the
1.5th power of its mean distance d from the Sun. For simplicity, the distances have been scaled so that the
EarthSun distance is 1 unit. The orbital period of the Earth is 1 year.
1 Use the fact that T d
1.5
to show that Mars has an orbital period of 1.88 years.
2 Copy and complete the table to include the orbital periods for all the outer planets, namely Mars
to Pluto.
3 In a similar way, work out the orbital periods for the inner planets, Mercury and Venus. These should
each be less than 1 year, so give your answer in days.
4 Now use the internet to check that you have worked out these orbital periods correctly.
5 The T d
1.5
law was one of three published by the astronomer Johannes Kepler. Use the internet to
find out about Keplers other laws.
6 In 2003, a remote object named Sedna was discovered far beyond Pluto. Sednas mean distance from
the Sun is approximately 510 times the SunEarth distance. Use Keplers laws to calculate the orbital
period for Sedna. Give your answer to the nearest 100 years.
7 Is Sedna really a planet? Is Pluto? Use the internet to help you decide.

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Direct and inverse proportion

With r 3 and d 60:

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