All Algebra 1 Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : How To Find Direct Variation
If an object is hung on a spring, the elongation of the spring varies directly as the mass of the object. A 20 kg object increases the length of a spring by exactly 7.2 cm. To the nearest tenth of a centimeter, by how much does a 32 kg object increase the length of the same spring?
Let  be the mass of the weight and the elongation of the spring. Then for some constant of variationÂ
,Â
We can find  by settingÂ
 from the first situation:
soÂ
In the second situation, we set  and solve forÂ
:
Â
which rounds to 11.5 centimeters.
Example Question #2 : How To Find Direct Variation
 varies directly with the square root of
. If
, thenÂ
. What is the value of
 if
?
None of these answers are correct.
If  varies directly with the square root of
, then for some constant of variation
,Â
If , thenÂ
; therefore, the equation becomesÂ
,Â
or
.
Divide by 5 to get , making the equationÂ
.
If , thenÂ
.
Example Question #3 : How To Find Direct Variation
If an object is hung on a spring, the elongation of the spring varies directly with the mass of the object. A 33 kilogram object increases the length of a spring by exactly 6.6 centimeters. To the nearest tenth of a kilogram, how much mass must an object posess to increase the length of that same spring by exactly 10 centimeters?
Let  be the mass of the weight and the elongation of the spring, respectively. Then for some constant of variationÂ
,Â
.
We can find  by settingÂ
:
Therefore .
Set  and solve forÂ
:
 kilograms
Example Question #2 : How To Find Direct Variation
If is directly proportional toÂ
and whenÂ
at
, what is the value of the constant of proportionality?
Â
The general formula for direct proportionality is
where is the proportionality constant. To find the value of this
, we plug inÂ
and
Solve for by dividing both sides by 12
So .
Example Question #4 : How To Find Direct Variation
The amount of money you earn is directly proportional to the nunber of hours you worked. On the first day, you earned $32 by working 4 hours. Â On the second day, how many hours do you need to work to earn $48.
The general formula for direct proportionality isÂ
where is how much money you earned,Â
is the proportionality constant, andÂ
is the number of hours worked.
Before we can figure out how many hours you need to work to earn $48, we need to find the value of . It is given that you earned $32 by working 4 hours. Plug these values into the formula
Solve for by dividing both sides by 4.
So . We can use this to find out the hours you need to work to earn $48. With
, we have
Plug in $48.
Divide both sides by 8
So you will need to work 6 hours to earn $48.
Example Question #3 : How To Find Direct Variation
The volume of a fixed mass of gas varies inversely as the atmospheric pressure, as measured in millibars, acting on it, and directly as the temperature, as measured in kelvins, acting on it.
A balloon is filled to a capacity of exactly 100 cubic meters at a time at which the temperature is 310 kelvins and the atmospheric pressure is 1,020 millibars. The balloon is released, and an hour later, the balloon is subject to a pressure of 900 millibars and a temperature of 290 kelvins. To the nearest cubic meter, what is the new volume of the balloon?
If  are the volume, pressure, and temperature, then the variation equation will be, for some constant of variationÂ
,
To calculate , substituteÂ
:
The variation equation isÂ
so substitute  and solve forÂ
.Â
Example Question #4 : How To Find Direct Variation
The monthly cost to insure your cars varies directly with the number of cars you own. Right now, you are paying $420 per month to insure 3 cars, but you plan to get 2 more cars, so that you will own 5 cars. How much does it cost to insure 5 cars monthly?
The statement, 'The monthly costly to insure your cars varies directly with the number of cars you own' can be mathematically expressed as . M is the monthly cost, C is the number of cars owned, and k is the constant of variation.
Given that it costs $420 a month to insure 3 cars, we can find the k-value.
Divide both sides by 3.
Now, we have the mathematical relationship.
Finding how much it costs to insure 5 cars can be found by substituting 5 for C and solving for M.
Example Question #1 : How To Find Direct Variation
Does the equation below represent a direct variation? If it does, find the constant of variation.
Â
Yes,Â
No,Â
Yes,Â
No,Â
Yes,Â
Yes,Â
Direct Variation is a relationship that can be represented by a function in the form
, whereÂ
 is the constant of variation for a direct variation.
 is the coefficient of
.
The equation is in the form , so the equation is a direct variation.
The constant of variation or  isÂ
Therefore, the answer is,
Yes it is a direct variation,  with a direct variation ofÂ
Example Question #2 : How To Find Direct Variation
Suppose  andÂ
, and that
 is in direct proportion with
. What is the value of proportionality?
The general formula for direct proportionality is
where  is our constant of proportionality. From here we can plug in the relevant values for
 and
 to get
Solving for  requires that we divide both sides of the equation by
, yielding
Example Question #5 : How To Find Direct Variation
The cost of a catering company varies directly with the number of people attending. If the cost is $100 when 20 people attend the party, find the constant of variation.Â
Because the cost varies directly with the number of people attending, we have the equation
Where  is the cost and
 is the number of people attending.Â
We solve for , the constant of variation, by plugging in
 and
.
And by dividing by 20 on both sides
Yields
Certified Tutor
All Algebra 1 Resources
