DIRECT AND INVERSE PROPORTION
Direct proportion:
Two quantities are said to be in direct proportion if they increase or
decrease at the same rate
Example:
If we buy potatoes at 20p for 2 kg then we expect to pay 40 p for 4 kg and
10 p for 1 kg. if we double the quantity bought we double the cost; if we
halve the quantity bought then we halve the cost. The quantity of potatoes
and their cost are in direct proportion.
Two quantities are in direct proportion when they increase or decrease in
the same ratio. For example, you could increase something by doubling it
or decrease it by halving.
Here is a typical problem:
Twelve pencils cost 72p. Find the cost of 30 pencils
To solve this problem, we need to know the cost of one pencil.
We know that 12 pencils cost 72p, so if we divide 72 by 12, this will give
us the cost of one pencil:
=6
So 1 pencil cost 6 p.
Now we need to know the cost of 30 pencils. We multiply 6p by 30.
6 × 30 = 180p
So 30 pencils costs £1.80.
If you had a problem working out the answer, the basic method to
remember is:
divide by how many you know, then multiply by what you want to know.
Jenny buys 15 felt-tip pens, and it cost her £2.85. How much would 20
pens have cost?
Did you get the answer £3.80?
If so, well done! You divided 2.85 by 15, then multiplied your answer by
20.
If you had problems working out the answer, see if you can fill in the
blanks here:
15 pens cost £2.85.
1 pen cost , = 0.19p
so 20 pens would cost 0.19 × ? = £3.80
Direct Proportion
If one quality is directly proportional to another it changes in the same way.
As it increases so does the other as it decreases the other decreases also
Example 1:
The cost of sweets is directly proportional to the number of sweets bought.
If 1 sweet cost 10p, 5 sweets costs 5 x 10 = 50p
or
If 10 sweets costs 60p, 1 sweet cost 60/10 = 6p
Method:
For direct proportion, we find the value of one by division and then
multiply to find the total value.
For example, a car uses 20 litres of petrol in travelling 140 km. How much
would be used in a journey of 35 km?
1km = 20/140
35 km = · 35 = 5 litres
Rule: Divide to find one and then multiply.
Inverse proportion:
If an increase (or decrease) in one quantity produces a decrease
(or increase) in a seconded quantity in the same ratio, the two quantities
are in inverse proportion.
Inverse proportion is when one value increase as the other value decreases.
If one quantity is inversely proportional to another, it changes in the
opposite way as it increases, the other decreases.
Example:
If 8 men take 4 days to build a wall, how long would it take 2 men?
( assuming they work at the same rate)
First we decide whether the problem is direct or inverse proportion.
In this case, if less men are used they will take longer, so it is inverse
proportion.
Method
8 men take 4 days
1 man takes 8 x 4 = 32 days
2 men take 32/2 = 16 days
Again we find the value of one but by multiplying. Then divide to find the
final answer.
Note: this process is the opposite of direct proportion
The Difference between Inverse and Direct Proportion
In direct proportions, when one row of a table shows that the
proportion gets larger, the numbers in the other row or rows get
"proportionally" larger. You can always find the numbers in a row by
multiplying the numbers in another row by some specific number.
You also learn about inverse proportions. In these proportions, one
row gets smaller at the same time that another gets larger. For example,
think of how long it would take you to paint your room. How long would it
take if you had one friend helping you? How long would it take if you had
two friends helping you? The relation between the time it takes to paint
your room and the number of people painting is an inverse proportion. The
more people you have, the less time it takes (or at least the less time it
should take!)
Setting Up and Solving Inverse Proportions
Like direct proportions, inverse proportions can also be solved using the
cross-multiply and divide method. However, the proportion must be set up
much differently to account for the fact that one term is increasing while
the other is decreasing.
You must:
(1) Make a ratio of one type of term ( persons, weight, etc.),
(2) Make a ratio of the second type of term (hours, distance, etc.),
(3) Invert one of the ratios (flip it upside down), and then
(4) Use the cross-multiply and divide procedure for direct proportions.
For example, we could make ratios of persons and hours to paint a room by
doing the following:
We then invert the second ratio (although we could invert the first one
instead) and make it equal to the first.
Cross multiplying we see that 2X = 6 and X = 3.
Direct Proportion
Match the items on the right with the items on the left.
6 pencils cost 72p. What do 9 costs? £1.08
3 oranges cost 60p. What do 4 costs? £1.60
3 bottles of soda cost £1.20. What do 5 costs? 90p
3 pens cost 60p. What do 8 costs? £2.00
2 sweet bars cost 50p. What do 5 costs? 80p
5 hooks cost 75p. What do 6 costs? £1.25
Exercises:
1.- A car does 8 km on one litre of petrol. How far will it go on 6 litres?
2.- A train travels 200 km in 4 hours. If it travels at the same rate, how long
will it take to complete a journey of 350 km?
3.- Five men building a wall take 20 days to complete it. How would it take
4 men to complete it?
4.- A book weighs 800 g. what is the weight, in kilograms, of 20 similar
books?
5.- 8 people take 5 hours to pick a row of raspberries. How long would it
take 4 people to do the work?