Chapter 1

VARIATION

Represenhat are you expected to learn

1. Identify quantities that are related to each other

2. Determine the relation between two quantities.
3. Find the equation of the variation and its constant of variation.
4. Use proportion to solve the direct, inverse, joint and combined variation.

What is the variation about

In real life, there are several relationships of quantities are related to each other in some way.
You will learn how a change in one quantity could correspond to a predictable change in the
other. In this module you will find out the relation between quantities.

Base on the situation below, can you

(a) identify two related quantities?
(b) state the effect of change in quantity 2 when quantity 1 changes.

Quantity Increase/ Quantity Increase/

No Situation
1 decrease 2 decrease
The area of the wall to the Amount of
1 amount of paint used to Area of wall Increase paint used Increase
cover it to cover it

The time a teacher spends checking The time a Number

2 papers to the teacher spends Increase of
checking
Increase
number of students papers
students

The number of men working to the Number Number of

3 of men Increase hours to Decrease
number of hours to finish a job working finish a job

The distance a car drives to the time The distance The time
4 Increase Increase
travelling a car drives travelling

The age of a used car to its resale The age of Its resale
5 Increase Decrease
value a used car value

Question:
Base on the above situation 1 to 5, can you classify the direct variation and the inverse variation?

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 What to know

Direct Variation Inverse Variation

Direct variation explains the Inverse variation explains the

relation between two variables relation between two variables
vary in the different directions, such
vary in the same direction, such that
that if one increases , the
if one increases , the other
decreases other decreases .
increases . If one ,
the other decreases .

Base on the situation in page 1, classify the direct variation and inverse variation in the table
below:

Direct Variation Inverse Variation

Situation Situation
1
(state the number) (state the number)

Example 1:

Identify the following situation as direct variation or inverse variation

No Situation Answer
(a) The number of people sharing a pizza related to the size of the
slices of the pizza. Inverse variation

(b) The diameter of a circle is related to its circumference. Direct variation

(c) The cost of life insurance depends on the age of the insured
Direct variation
person
(d) The speed of a car will affect the time taken. Inverse variation

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Example 2:

Table 1 shows the points earned by Form 5 classes for every number of kilograms of waste
paper collected and table 2 shows the speed and the length of time taken by Lina’s car in 40
km from house to her office.

Number of kilograms (n) 1 2 3 4 5 6

Points earned (P) 5 10 15 20 25 30
Table 1

1 4 2 4 1 4
Time (h) 1 1
5 3 7 2 9
3
Speed (km/h) 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Table 2

(a) What have you observed about the values in both tables?
(b) Which table represent direct variation and inverse variation?
(c) What happens to the number of points earned when the number of kilograms of paper is
(i) doubled?
(ii) tripled?
(iii) decrease by 1
2
(d) What happen to the length of time when the speed of Lina’s car is
(i) doubled?
(ii) increase 25%
(iii) decrease 13.

Solution:
(a) In Table 1, when the number of kilograms increase, the points earned will also increase.
In Table 2, when the time decreases, the speed increases.

(b)
The values in Table 1 are a direct variant. The values in Table 2 are an inverse variant.

(c) (i) The number of points are doubled.

(ii) The number of points are tripled.
(iii) The number of points are decreased by ½

(d) (i) The length of time is halved.

(ii) The length of time is decreased by 25%.
(iii) The length of time is increased by 1/3.

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In Example 2, you are notice that all the quantity values change at a constant rate.

For a direct variation, y varies directly as x For a inverse variation, y varies inverse as
can be written as x can be written as
y ∝ x (variation relation) 1
𝑦 ∝ (variation relation)
y = kx (equation form) 𝑥
𝑘
𝑦= (equation form)
where k is a constant where each pair of 𝑥
numbers has the same ratio.
where k is a constant where each pair of
numbers has the same product.

𝑦
Therefore, the constant, 𝑘 =
𝑥

Therefore, the constant, 𝑘 = 𝑥𝑦

Example 3
Determine whether y varies directly as x or y varies inversely as x. Then write an equation
that relates x and y
(a) (b) (c) (d)
x 2 4 6 8 x 1 2 3 4 x –4 –3 –2 –1 x 1 2 3 4
y –12 –6 –4 –3 y 2 4 8 16 y 20 15 10 5 y 60 30 20 15
Answer: Answer: Answer: Answer:
y varies directly as x. y varies directly as x y varies inversely as x y varies inversely as x

Example 4
Determine whether the following equation is direct variation, inverse variation or neither.
(a) (b) (c) (d)
𝑥𝑦 = 3 𝑦=𝑥+7 𝑦
=𝑥 10𝑦 = 2𝑥
4
Inverse variation Neither Direct variation
Direct variation

Example 5
Determine whether the y varies directly as x2 or y varies directly as x3. Then Write the
relation in the form of variation.
x 2 3 4 5
y 8 18 32 50

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Example 6
Determine whether the following graph represent direct variation. If so, state the constant of
variation and write the equation.
(a) (b) (c)
y y y

5 2.5 50
4 2.0 40
3 1.5 30
2 1.0 20
1 0.5 10
2
𝑥 𝑥 𝑥
O 1 2 3 4 5 6 O 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 O 5 10 15 20 25 30

Direct variation y varies directly as x³

Constant, k = y/x Not a direct variation, Constant, k = y/x
Point (4,3) since it does not pass Point (25,50)
k=3/4 the origin. k=50/25
Equation, y=3/4 x Equation, y=2x

Example 7
The following graph represent the inverse variation. State the constant of variation and write
the equation.
(a) (b) (c)
y y y

5 10 75
4 8 60
3 6 45
2 4 30
1 2 15
𝑥 1 1
O 1 2 3 4 5 6 O 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 𝑥
O 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 𝑥2

y varies inversely as x y varies inversely as x y varies inversely as x²

Constant, k = xy Constant, k = xy Constant, k = x²y
Point (4,1) Point (0.5,8) Point (0.25,45)
k= 4 x 1 = 4 k= 1/0.5 x 8 = 16 k= 1/0.25 x 45 = 180
Equation, y=4/x Equation, y=16/x Equation, y=180/x²

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Example 8
It is given that m varies directly as the cube root of n and m = 0.8 when n = 0.125.

(a) express m in terms of n

(b) calculate the value of
(i) m when n = 27
(ii) n when m = 1.2

Answer:
(a) m n
m = 1.6 27
= 4.8 m=k n

k = m/ n

k = 0.8/ 0.125
(b) 1.2 = 1.6 n
n = 1.2/1.6 k = 1.6
n = 27/64
m = 1.6 n

Example 9
The table shows the value of two variables, R and S. R 4 7 y
It is given that S varies directly as R.
Calculate the value of x and of y. S 2 x 5

Answer:

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Example 10
The table shows the value of two variables, x and y. x 5 10 q
It is given that y varies inversely as x.
Calculate the value of p and of q. y 16 p 4

Answer:

Example 11
The cost per person renting a bus varies inversely with the number of people renting the bus.
It costs RM33 per person if 26 people rent the bus. How much will it cost per person if 56
people rent the bus?
Answer:

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Example 12
Table 1 shows the points earned, P is varies directly as number of kilograms, n of waste
paper collected.

Number of kilograms (n) 1 2 3 4 5 6

Points earned (P) 5 10 15 20 25 30
Table 1
Calculate the number of paper, in kg, collected in order to raise 500 points?
Answer:

Example 13
The area, L cm2, of a semicircle varies directly as the
square of its diameter, d cm. It is given that the area of
the semicircle is 3.08 cm2 when the diameter is 2.8 cm.
Calculate the value of d when L = 19.25 .

Answer:

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 Another Variation

➢ Another type of variation is joint variation . Joint variation occurs when one
quantity varies directly as the product of two or more other
quantities.
➢ Joint variation can read as
y varies jointly as x and z or y varies directly as x and z
➢ Can written as
y ∝ xz (variation relation) 𝑦
Therefore, the constant, 𝑘 =
y = kxz (equation form) 𝑥𝑧

Example 14
y varies jointly as x and z. If y = 16, when x = 5 and z = 2, find y when x = 8 and z = 3.

Example 15
Three quantities, S, T and U vary as shown in the table
on the right. It is given that S varies directly as T and the
cube root of U. Calculate the values of x and y.

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 Combined Variation

➢ Combined Variation involved a combination of direct variation or inverse

variation and joint variation.
➢ For a combined variation, y varies directly as xm and inversely as zn can be written as
𝑥𝑚 11
𝑦 ∝ 𝑛 (variation relation) 𝑚 = 1, 2, 3, , ,
𝑧 2 3
𝑘𝑥𝑚
𝑦 = 𝑛 (equation form) 1 1
𝑧 𝑛 = 1, 2, 3, , ,
23
Example 16
It is given that y varies directly as the square of x and inversely as the square root of z . If
y = 8 when x = 4 and z = 36, express y in terms of x and z.

Example 17
The table below shows the values of P, Q and R. It is given that P varies
directly as thecube of Q and inversely as R. Calculate the values of x and y.

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