Name Class Date

9.1 Inverse Variation

Essential Question: What does it mean for one variable to vary inversely as another variable?

A2.6.L Formulate and solve equations involving inverse variation. Resource

Locker
Explore Investigating Inverse Variation
You know that the area A of a rectangle with length ℓ and width w is given by A
the formula A = ℓw. If you hold the width constant and allow the length to 8
vary, the area will vary also. For instance, if w = 2, then the equation relating 7
6
A and ℓ is A = 2ℓ, A is said to vary directly as ℓ and 2 is called the constant of
5

Area
variation. In general, any equation of the form y = ax, where a is a nonzero
4
constant, is a direct variation, and its graph is a line that passes through the
3
origin. For instance, the graph of A = 2ℓ is shown. The graph is a ray rather
2
than a line because length and area are nonnegative quantities.
1
ℓ
In this Explore, you will consider what happens to the length and width 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
of a rectangle if you hold the area constant.
Length

 Let the area of a rectangle be 12 square units. Complete the table, which lists Length Width
possible positive-integer lengths and widths for the rectangle. Note that it 1 12
doesn’t matter whether the width is less than, equal to, or greater than the 2
length.
3
4
6
12
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Module 9 455 Lesson 1

 w
B On the coordinate plane shown, draw each of the 12
rectangles having the lengths and widths in the table from 11
Step A. Each rectangle should have its lower-left corner at 10
9
the origin. The first rectangle, having a length of 1 and a
8
width of 12, is already drawn for you.

Width
7
6
5
C Using the coordinate plane in Step B, draw a smooth
4
curve through the upper-right corners of the rectangles.
3
See graph in part B. 2
1
ℓ
D Write an equation that gives w in terms of ℓ.        0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Length
Reflect

1. In the direct variation equation A = 2ℓ, the value of A increases as the value of ℓ increases. For the
equation that you wrote in Step D, what can you say about the value of w as the value of ℓ increases?

\ Explain 1   Formulating and Solving Inverse Variation Equations

An inverse variation is a relationship between two variables x and y that can y
be written in the form y = __ ​  ax ​where a ≠ 0. In this relationship, y is said to vary
inversely as x, and a is called the constant of variation.

​  ax ​is
If x and y represent positive real-world quantities, then the graph of y = __
a Quadrant I curve that passes through points of the form (​ x, __
​  ax ​)​and has the
a
following end behavior: x, x

• As x → 0, y → +∞.
• As x → +∞, y → 0. x

To use the equation y = _​  ax ​ to solve problems, you may find it helpful
to rewrite it as xy = a.

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Module 9 456 Lesson 1

 Example 1 Write an equation relating the variables and use it to answer the question.

 The time t (in days) that it takes a theater crew to set up a stage for a musical varies
inversely as the number of workers w. If 30 workers can set up the stage in 4 days, how
many days would it take if only 24 workers are available?

Write an equation relating w and t by finding the constant of variation, a.

a a
Write the general equation. t = __
w Substitute known values. 4 = __
30
120
Solve for a. 120 = a So, an equation is t = ___
w .

Find the amount of time needed to set up the stage with 24 workers.
120 120
Using the equation t = ___ ___
w , substitute 24 for w to get t = 24 = 5.

So, 24 workers can set up the stage in 5 days.

B The time t (in hours) that it takes a group of volunteers to clean up a city
park varies inversely as the number of volunteers v. If 10 volunteers can
clean up the park in 6 hours, how many volunteers would be needed to
clean up the park in 4 hours?

Write an equation relating v and t by finding the constant of variation, a.

a
Write the general equation. t = v _
Substitute known values. 10 = _ a

Solve for a. =a So, an equation is t = _

v .
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Find the number of volunteers needed to clean up the park in 4 hours.

Using the equivalent equation vt = , substitute 4 for t and solve for v to

get v = .

So, volunteers are needed to clean up the park in 4 hours.

Reflect

2. Discussion Using the equivalent equation xy = a for an inverse variation, explain why
the point (q, p) must be on the graph of the equation if the point (p, q) is.
Images/Alamy

3. Discussion What does the fact that for every point (p, q) on the graph of y = __ax the
point (q, p) is also on the graph tell you about the symmetry of the graph?

Module 9 457 Lesson 1

 Your Turn

Write an equation relating the variables and use it to answer the question.

4. Kim lives in a suburb and drives to work in a city. The time t (in hours) it takes her to get
to work varies inversely with her average driving speed s (in miles per hour). When she
averages 20 miles per hour in heavy traffic, it takes her 1.5 hours to get to work. How long
would the trip take if her average driving speed is 50 miles per hour in light traffic?

5. Boyle’s law says that the volume V of a gas held in a container at a constant temperature
varies inversely with the pressure P on the gas. The volume of a particular gas is 8 liters at a
pressure of 3 atmospheres. What is the pressure when the volume is 6 liters?

Explain 2   Distinguishing between Inverse Variation and

Direct Variation

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As you know, you can rewrite the inverse variation equation y = __ ​  ax ​as xy = a. The alternative form of the equation
gives you a way to check for inverse variation in a table of data: If the products of the paired values of the variables are
constant (or nearly constant), then inverse variation exists.
y
A direct variation equation has the form y = ax, which you can rewrite as __ ​ x ​= a. So, to check for direct
variation in a table of data, see if the ratios of the paired values of the variables are constant.

Module 9 458 Lesson 1

 Example 2 Determine whether the two variables vary inversely or directly. Then write
an equation and use it to answer the question.

 The table gives the total cost (in dollars) of various numbers of tickets to a school play. What
is the cost of 12 tickets?
C
Tickets, t 3 7 9
Check both the products tC and the ratios __ t to see which
are constant. Total cost, C 12 28 36
C
Because the ratios __
t are constant, C varies directly as t.
t C tC C
_
Write the equation. C = 4t t
3 12 36 4
Find the cost for 12 tickets. C = 4(12) = 48
7 28 196 4
So, 12 tickets cost $48.
9 36 324 4

B The table gives the time (in hours) needed to drive to a

destination at various average speeds (in miles
per hour). What is the time needed to get to the
Average Speed, s 12 15 20
destination when driving at an average speed of
48 miles per hour? Time, t 50 40 30

Check both the products st and the ratios _st to see

which are constant. s t st _t
s
_
12 50 4.16
Because the are constant, s varies as t.
15 40 600
Write the equation.
20 30
Find the time needed to get to the destination when driving at an
average speed of 48 miles per hour.

t=_=
48
So, it takes hours to get to the destination when driving at an average speed of 48 miles per hour.
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Reflect

6. State the real-world significance of the constant of variation in Part A and Part B.

Module 9 459 Lesson 1

 Your Turn

Determine whether the two variables vary inversely or directly. Then write an equation
and use it to answer the question.

7. The table gives the number of pages read from a book for various amounts of time (in hours) spent
reading. How many pages can be read in 6 hours?

Time, t 2 3 5

Pages Read, p 40 60 100

8. The table gives the amount (in dollars) that each person owes when a group of people buys a birthday
present for a friend. How much does each person owe when 8 people chip in for the present?

Number of People, p 2 4 5

Amount each Owes, A 40 20 16

Elaborate
9. How do direct variation and inverse variation differ?

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​  ax ​? How is this equation helpful?
10. What is another way to write the inverse variation equation y = __

11. Essential Question Check-In If x and y represent positive real-world quantities that vary inversely,
what happens to y as x approaches 0? What happens to y as x increases without bound?

Module 9 460 Lesson 1

 Evaluate: Homework and Practice
• Online Homework
1. Let the area of a rectangle be 16 square units. On the coordinate plane shown, draw • Hints and Help
all rectangles having positive-integer lengths and widths. (Note that it doesn’t matter • Extra Practice
whether the width is less than, equal to, or greater than the length.) Each rectangle
should have its lower-left corner at the origin. The first rectangle, having a length of
1 and a width of 16, is already drawn for you. After drawing the rectangles, draw a
smooth curve through their upper-right corners.
2. Write an equation of the curve that you drew in w
Evaluate 1. The equation should give the width 16
w of a rectangle in terms of the length ℓ. 15
14
13
12
11
10

Width
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
ℓ
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Length

Write an equation relating the variables and use it to answer the question.

3. Given that y varies inversely as x, and y = 8 when x = 3, what is the value of y

when x = 12?
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4. Given that y varies inversely as x, and y = 10 when x = 4, what is the value of x when
y = 8?

Module 9 461 Lesson 1

5. The time t (in hours) that it takes a pump to empty a tank of water varies inversely
with the pumping rate r (in gallons per hour). If it takes 3 hours to empty a tank of
water when the pumping rate is 80 gallons per hour, how long does it take to empty
the tank when the pumping rate is 60 gallons per hour?

6. The number of flowers f that a gardener can plant along a border of a garden varies
inversely with the distance d (in inches) between the flowers. If the gardener can fill
the border with 30 flowers planted 12 inches apart, how far apart should the gardener
plant 36 flowers?

7. The number of presents p that Tim can afford to buy varies inversely with their
average cost C (in dollars). If Tim can afford 5 presents when their average cost is $12,
what average cost would 3 presents have?

8. A club rents a bus for a trip. The cost C (in dollars) that each person pays to cover the
cost of the bus varies inversely with the number of people p who go on the trip. It will
cost $30 per person if 50 people go on the trip. How much will it cost per person if
40 people go on the trip?

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Module 9 462 Lesson 1

 9. For a fundraiser, members of the booster club wash cars by hand. The time t (in
minutes) it takes to wash a car varies inversely as the number of people p who are
washing the car. If 2 people can wash a car in 20 minutes, how many people would
be needed to wash a car in 8 minutes?

10. A gear with 32 teeth meshes with a gear with 40 teeth so that when one gear revolves,
the other one does as well. The number of revolutions r that each gear makes varies
inversely with the gear’s number of teeth t. When the gear with 32 teeth makes
5 revolutions, how many revolutions does the gear with 40 teeth make?

11. Music The frequency f (in hertz) of a vibrating guitar string varies inversely as
its length ℓ (in centimeters). If a guitar string 65 centimeters long vibrates with a
frequency of 110 hertz, at what frequency would the guitar string vibrate when the
guitarist reduces the string’s length to 22 centimeters?

12. Physics When a lever is placed on a fulcrum and a force is applied at each end, the
lever will be in balance as long as the magnitude m (in pounds) of each force and
the distance d (in feet) of each force from the fulcrum satisfy an inverse variation
relationship. If a force of 50 pounds is applied to one end of a lever at a distance of
2 feet from the fulcrum, what force must be applied to other end, which is 5 feet from
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the fulcrum, to bring the lever into balance?

Module 9 463 Lesson 1

Determine whether the two variables vary inversely or directly.
Then write an equation and use it to answer the question.

13. Given the table of data, what is y when x = 15?

x 1 3 4

y 30 10 7.5

14. Given the table of data, what is y when x = 10?

x 2 5 6

y 30 75 90

15. The table gives the cost (in dollars) per person
Number of People, p 2 3 5
when friends share in renting a mountain cabin
for a weekend. What is the cost per person Cost per Person, C 90 60 36
when 6 friends rent the cabin?

16. The table gives the amount of gas (in gallons) used
when driving a car various distances (in miles)
Distance Driven, d 112 140 224
on highways. What amount of gas is used when Amount of Gas, g 4 5 8
driving 336 miles on highways?

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17. The table gives the cost (in dollars) of renting a rowboat at a
lake for various amounts of time (in hours). What is the cost of
renting a rowboat for 3.5 hours?

Time, t 2 2.5 3

Rental Cost, C 28 35 42
Elisseeva/Shutterstock

Module 9 464 Lesson 1

 18. The table gives the total working time (in hours) that it takes a crew of painters to paint a house.
How much time does it take 6 painters to paint the house?

Number of Painters, p 2 3 5

Total Working Time, t 48 32 19.2

19. The table gives the speed of a bicycle (in miles per hour) when a cyclist pedals at various rates (in
revolutions per minute of the pedals) with the bicycle in a particular gear. What is the bicycle’s speed
when the cyclist pedals at a rate of 72 revolutions per minute?

Pedaling Rate, r 30 60 90

Bicycle’s Speed, s 5 10 15

20. The table gives the number of laptops sold in a month when a store sells a particular model of laptop at various
prices (in dollars). How many laptops would be sold in a month when the store sells the laptop for $500?

Price of Laptop, p 600 720 800

Number of Laptops Sold, ℓ 60 50 45

21. The table gives the number of small figurines that can be placed on a display shelf for various distances
(in centimeters) between them. How many figurines can be placed on the shelf when they are
24 centimeters apart?

Distance between Figurines, s 10 15 20

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Number of Figurines, f 12 8 6

22. The table gives the amount of water (in gallons) coming out of a garden hose for various amounts of time
(in minutes). How much water comes out of the garden hose in 20 minutes?

Time, t 4 9 16

Amount of Water, w 72 162 288

Module 9 465 Lesson 1

23. Determine whether each of the following situations represents direct variation or
inverse variation. Select the correct answer for each lettered part.
a. When traveling a Direct variation Inverse variation
fixed distance, the
travel time is a function
of average speed.
b. For items that are priced Direct variation Inverse variation
the same, the total cost is
a function of the number
of items purchased.
c. When traveling at a Direct variation Inverse variation
fixed speed, the distance
traveled is a function
of the travel time.
d. For a fixed amount of Direct variation Inverse variation
money, the number of
identical items that can be
purchased is a function of
the cost per item.

H.O.T. Focus on Higher Order Thinking

24. Justify Reasoning If y varies directly as x, what happens to the value of y when the value of x is
doubled? If y varies inversely as x, what happens to the value of y when the value of x is doubled? Use the
general equations for direct and inverse variation to justify your reasoning.

25. Explain the Error Boyle’s law says that the volume V of a gas held in a container at a constant © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
temperature varies inversely with the pressure P on the gas. The volume of a particular gas is 6 liters at a
pressure of 2 atmospheres. Jerry says that if the pressure is changed to 3 atmospheres, the volume will be
9 liters. Explain and correct his error.

Module 9 466 Lesson 1

 26. Represent Real-World Situations The volume V of a gas varies inversely as the pressure P and directly
as the temperature T. A particular gas has a volume of 10 liters, a temperature of 300 kelvins, and a
pressure of 1.5 atmospheres. If the gas is compressed to a volume of 7.5 liters and is heated to a temperature
of 360 kelvins, what will the pressure be? Write an equation and use it to answer the question.
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Module 9 467 Lesson 1

Lesson Performance Task
You have a collection of CDs whose songs you want to transfer to your new MP3 player.
The MP3 player has 32,000 megabytes (MB) of storage. An average song lasts 4 minutes and
requires 40 MB of storage on a CD.

Write a function that gives the number S of songs that your MP3 player can store
a. 
if the average file size of a song is s MB.

b. 
If you were to transfer the songs from your CDs in their current size, how many
songs could you expect to store on your MP3 player?

c. 
The MP3 file format compresses songs without much loss in the quality of the
sound. Typically, the MP3 format compresses a CD file to a tenth of its size. How
many songs from your CDs can you expect to store as MP3 files on your MP3
player?

d. 
In general, if you could use a file format that compresses the songs on your CDs
by a factor of __
​ 1f ​where f > 1, how many songs in that format can you expect to
store on your MP3 player?

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Module 9 468 Lesson 1