Variation

Direct Variation.
S=13 h This is a direct variation formula that says the salary of a person is 13 times the hours
worked. The constant k is 13 ($13 is the hourly wage). It is easy to understand, that as the number of
hours increases, so does the salary earned. The format for direct variation is
y=kx . . In direct variation (as long as the constant is positive) as x increases, so does y. You can
also see that this model would have a graph that is a line with a positive slope of k and a y-intercept at
0.

Direct Variation:
If a situation is described by an equation in the form

y
y=kx∨k = ,
x
where k is a nonzero constant,
we say that
y varies directly as x
or
y is directly proportional to x.
The number k is called the constant of variation or the constant of proportionality.

Steps for Solving a Direct Variation Problems:

1. Write an equation that models the given English statement.
2. Substitute the given values into the equation in step 1 and solve for k, the constant.
y1 y2 y3
k= = =
x 1 x2 x 3
3. Substitute the value of k into the equation in step 1.
4. Use the equation form step 3 (the variation formula) to solve and answer the problem’s
question.

Find the constant of proportionality for each. Write the resulting variation equation.

Ex 1: y is directly proportional Ex 2: y is directly proportional Ex 4: b is directly

to x. If x = 30, then y = 15.
Find y when x=40
to x. If y = 15 when x = 4, find proportional to the cube of a. b
7 81
y when x = . is when a is 3.
5 2
Find b when a is 4

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 Ex 3: Hooke's law states that
the force required to stretch a
spring a distance is directly
proportional to the distance
stretched. A force of 3 newtons
stretches a spring 15
centimeters. A force of 4
newtons would stretch the
spring how far?
The Area of a circle varies
proportionally as the square
of its radius. When the area is
12.57cm2, the radius is 2cm.
find the area when the radius
is 5.5cm.
If y has the value 6 and x has
the value 8, calculate the
value of y when x has the
value 48:
i. When y varies
proportionally as x
ii. When y varies directly
as the square of x.

Inverse Variation
200
An example of a model for inverse variation is t= . This says that the time (in hours) to complete
r
a 200 miles trip varies inversely as the rate (in miles per hour). The constant k is 200. It is easy to
understand, that as the rate increases, the time decreases.
k
The format for inverse variation is y= . In inverse variation, as long as the constant k is positive,
x
then as x increases, y decreases and vice-versa. The graph of an inverse function (with a positive k) is
a curve similar to one shown on page 398 of the textbook.

Inverse Variation:
If a situation is described by an equation of the form
k
y= ∨k = yx ,
x
where k is a nonzero constant,
we say that y varies inversely as x
or
y is inversely proportional to x.
2
The number k is called the constant of variation.

Steps for Solving a Direct Variation Problems:

1. Write an equation that models the given English statement.
2. Substitute the given values into the equation in step 1 and solve for k, the constant.
k = y 1 x 1= y 2 x 2 = y 3 x 3
3. Substitute the value of k into the equation in step 1.
4. Use the equation form step 3 (the variation formula) to solve and answer the problem’s
question.

Find the constant of variation and the variation equation that results.

Ex 5: R varies inversely as the y varies inversely as the square 1

square of I. If I = 25, then R = root of x. if y = 4, when x = 9; If a ∝ and a = 5 when b = 2,
b4
100. Calculate i) Determine the relationship find:
i) I when R=81 between y and x. i) a when b = 4
ii) R when I =64 ii) Calculate y, when x = 1.44. ii) b when a = 20.
iii) x , when y = 15

The gas in a cylindrical canister
occupies a volume of 22.5 c m 3
and exerts a pressure of 1.9 kg/
c m 2. If the volume (V) varies
inversely as the pressure (P), find
i) an expression for P in terms of
V,
ii) the pressure if the volume is
reduced to 15 c m 3
iii) the volume when the
pressure is increased to 3.4kg/
c m2
The current (I amperes) that flows
in an electrical appliance varies
inversely as the resistance (R
ohms) of the appliance. If the
current is 3 amperes when the
resistance is
80 ohms, find
i) the current when the resistance
is 100 ohms
ii) the increase in resistance
required to reduce the current to
80% of its original value
The radius (r) of a cylinder of
fixed volume varies inversely as
the square root of its height
(h). If the height is 10 cm when
the radius is 5.64 cm, find
i) the constant of variation
ii) the radius if the height is 12 cm
iii) the height when the radius is 7
cm.

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Joint Variation
Joint variation is ‘a variation’ with more than one variable. It has the form y=kxz or y=kxwz ,
depending on how many variables are involved. Of course, some variables could be powers or roots.

If a model involves both direct variation and inverse variation, it is called joint or combined
variation.

Ex 8: q varies jointly with the Ex 9: A varies directly as the If the Area A varies jointly as
square of m and the square root square of a and inversely as b. the base b and height h, and A
of n. If q = 45 when m = 3 A equals 24 when a equals 4 = 24 when b = 6 and h = 8.
and n = 25, find q when m = 4 and b equals 2. Find the value i) Find the relationship between
and n = 36. of A when a is 5 and b is 4. A, b and h. Where do you
apply this relation?
ii) Find A when b = 10 and h =
7

The resistance of a cylindrical Ex10: The power, in watts,
wire varies directly as its length dissipated as heat in a resistor
and inversely as the square of varies directly with the square
its radius. The resistance is 10 of the voltage and inversely
ohms, when the length is 100m with the resistance. If 20 volts
1 are placed across a 20-ohm
and the radius is cm, find the
20 resistor, it will dissipate 20
1 watts. What voltage across a
length of a wire of radius m 10-ohm resistor will dissipate
10
to give a resistance of 22ohms. 40 watts?
The simple interest (I) earned on
an investment varies jointly as the
interest rate (r) and the time (t) for
which it is invested. If a sum of
money invested at 6.5% per
annum for two years earns ȼ130,
how much interest would the same
amount of money earn if it were
invested at 5.8% for three years?

The speed (s) of a conveyor
belt varies jointly as the
diameter (d) of the cog around
which it
passes and the number of
revolutions per second (n) the
cog makes. The speed of a belt
that passes round a cog of
diameter 0.3 m, revolving 20
times per second, is 18.85 m/s.
Find the value of
Ex 11: The value of a person’s
IQ varies directly as a person’s
mental age and inversely as that
person’s chronological age. A
person with a mental age of 30
and a chronological age of 25
has an IQ of 120. What is the
chronological age of a person
with a mental age of 30 and an
IQ of 90? Round to the
nearest year, if necessary.
The volume of a cone varies
jointly as the base and
perpendicular height of the
cone. If the volume is 308cm3,
when the base is 154cm2 and
the height is 6cm;
i) Find the relationship
between the volume, the
base and the height.
ii) Calculate the height when
the volume is 115.5cm3 and
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i) the constant of variation the base is 38.5cm2.
ii) the speed of a belt passing
around a cog half as big
revolving 30 times per second

The weight (W) that can be
supported by a wooden beam
varies directly as the square of
its diameter (d) and inversely as its
length (l).
i) What percentage increase in the
diameter would be necessary for a
beam twice as long
to support an equivalent weight?
ii) What percentage change in the
weight would be capable of being
supported by a beam
three times as long with twice the
diameter?
The resistance (R) in an electrical
wire varies directly as its length (l)
and inversely as the square of its
diameter (d). Find the percentage
change in R if
i) l is increased by 50% and d is
reduced by 50%
ii) l is decreased by 50% and d is
increased by 50%.
The kinetic energy (E) of an object
varies directly as its mass (m) and
the square of its velocity (v).
If the kinetic energy of an object
with a mass of 2.5 kg moving at
15 m/s is 281.25 joules,
find the energy of an object with a
mass of 1.8 kg moving at 20 m/s.