Inverse proportion is when one value increases as the other value decreases.

A simple example of inversely proportional quantities is the lengths and widths of rectangles with the same area. As the length of one side doubles, the width has to be halved for the area to stay the same.

Example
y is inversely proportional to x. When y = 3, x = 12 . Find the constant of proportionality, and the value of x when y = 8.

y 1/x y = k /x So xy = k Substitute the values x = 12 and y = 3 into xy = k 3 12 = 36 So k = 36 To find the value of x when y = 8, substitute k = 36 and y = 8 into xy = k 8x = 36 So x = 4.5

If two quantities are in direct proportion, as one increases, the other increases by the same percentage. If y is directly proportional to x, this can be written as y x A simple example of two things that are in the same proportion is the amount of apples you might buy and the amount you pay for them. If you buy twice as many apples as your friend, you pay twice as much. We can write the connection between the cost and the amount as an equation:

Cost of apples = price per apple number of apples bought.

This can also be written as y = kx, where k is the cost (the price per apple). This means that, for some constant k, y = kx for all values of x and k is called the constant of proportionality.

Example

If y is directly proportional to x. When x = 12 then y = 3 Find the constant of proportionality and the value of x when y = 8.

We know that y is proportional to x so y = kx We also know that when x = 12 then y = 3 To find the value of k substitute the values y = 3 and x = 12 into y = kx 3 = k 12 So k = 3/12 = 1/4 To find the value of x , when y = 8 substitute y = 8 and k= 3 into y = kx 8 = (1/4) x So x = 32 when y = 8