Joint &

Combined
Variation Arielle T. Tan, LPT
Instructor, SLSU – Laboratory School
 OBJECTIVES
o Define joint and combined variation.

o Translate statements that describe relationships in

which a quantity varies jointly as two other quantities
to a mathematical equation.

o Solve problems involving joint and combined

variations.
 JOINT VARIATION

Let and denote three quantities, varies jointly as and , if

there is some positive constant such that:

The number is called the constant of proportionality or the

constant of variation.
 EXAMPLE #1
Find the equation of variation in which varies jointly as and
and when and . Find when and

TRY THIS!
Find the equation of variation in which varies jointly as and
and when and .
 EXAMPLE #2
Find the equation of variation in which varies jointly as and
and when and . Find when and

EXAMPLE #3
Find the equation of variation in which varies jointly as and
and when and . Find when and .
 EXAMPLE #5
The volume of a right cylinder varies jointly with
the square of its radius and its height. When
the radius is 2cm and the height is 6cm, the
volume is 75.36

1. What is the constant of variation?

2. What is the equation of variation?

3. What is the volume if and

 EXAMPLE #6
The area of triangle varies jointly with its base and
height. If and , the area is 104

1. What is the constant of variation?

2. What is the area when and

 EXAMPLE #7
The volume of a right circular cone varies jointly with the
square of its radius and height. An ice – cream cone 12 cm
high with a radius of 3 cm has a volume of 113.04 . If the
radius of this cone is decreased by cm, by how much will
its volume decrease?
 EXAMPLE #8
The volume of cylinder varies jointly as the square of its
radius and height. The volume of a cylindrical can is 785
when its radius is 5cm and its height is 10 cm. If the can has
a volume of 904.32 and its height id 8 cm, find its radius.
 EXAMPLE #9
A simple interest () varies jointly with the amount of principal
() and the length of time (t). Suppose when and years.

a. Solve for the variation constant. Write a variation

equation.
b. What is the interest when and years?
c. How much should Dang deposit if she hoped to get an
interest of 1200 a year?
 EXAMPLE #10
The volume of a cylindrical can varies jointly with its height
and the square of its radius. Suppose that the radius is 3.5
cm, the height is 11.2 cm, and the volume is 430.8
a. Solve for the variation constant. Write a variation
equation.
b. What should be the height of a can with the same radius
be to hold 461.58 ?
c. What should be the radius of a can with a height of 10
cm be to hold 3140 ?
 HOMEWORK!

Answer nos. 31 (a and b only) and

33 (a and b only) on page 146 –
147 of you math book.
 COMBINED VARIATION
Let and denote three quantities, varies directly as and
inversely as , if there is some positive constant such that:

The number is called the constant of proportionality or the

constant of variation.
 EXAMPLE #1
Find an equation of combined variation where varies
directly as and inversely as . One set of values is , and
Find when and .

TRY THIS!
Find an equation of combined variation where varies
directly as and inversely as . One set of values is , and
Find when and .
 EXAMPLE #2
Find an equation of combined variation where varies
directly as and inversely as . and , and Find when and .

EXAMPLE #3
Find an equation of combined variation where varies
directly as and inversely as . One set of values is , and
Find when and .
 EXAMPLE #4
The electric resistance of a wire varies directly as its length
and inversely as the square of its diameter. 100m of a wire
with diameter of 6mm has resistance of 12 ohms. 80 meters
of a second wire of the same material has resistance of 15
ohms. Find the diameter of the second wire.
 EXAMPLE #5
The number of girls varied directly as the number of boys
and inversely as the number of teachers. When there were
50 girls, there were 20 teachers and 10 boys. How many
boys were there when there were 10 girls and 100 teachers?
 EXAMPLE #6

Blues varied directly as greens and inversely as whites

squared. If there were 3 greens when there were 4 blues
and 2 whites, how many greens were required for 2 blues
and 4 whites?
 EXAMPLE #7
Seacausus stadium has a seating capacity for 25,000
spectators. The stadium has 25 exits and can be vacated in
20 minutes. The time taken to exit the stadium varies directly
with the number of spectators and inversely with the number
of exits. Determine the time taken for 21,000 spectators to
vacate the stadium, if only 15 exits are functional.
 HOMEWORK!
1. The number of rabbits varied directly as the number of
squirrels and inversely as the number of raccoons. When
there were 10 rabbits and 40 squirrels there were only 2
raccoons. How many raccoons went with 5 rabbits and
20 squirrels?
2. An empty can of room freshener that has a volume of 350
mL, contains gas at a pressure of 360 kPa at 24° C.
Pressure varies directly with temperature and inversely
with volume. Determine the temperature of the same can,
if it contains gas at a pressure of 750 kPa.