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Direct and Inverse Proportion

A self-marking exercise in three levels on solving direct and inverse variation problems.

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Unitary Method Description Help Exam-Style More Ratio

This is level 2; Inverse proportion. You can earn a trophy if you get at least 9 correct.

1. If \(a\) is inversely proportional to \(b\) and \(a=4\) when \(b=6\)

      find \(a\) when \(b=8\)
Correct Wrong

      and find \(b\) when \(a=6\)
Correct Wrong

2. If \(c\) is inversely proportional to \(d\) and \(c=5\) when \(d=56\)

      find \(c\) when \(d=8\)
Correct Wrong

      and find \(d\) when \(c=7\)
Correct Wrong

3. If \(e\) is inversely proportional to \(f\) and \(e=6\) when \(f=72\)

      find \(e\) when \(f=9\)
Correct Wrong

      and find \(f\) when \(e=8\)
Correct Wrong

4. If \(g\) is inversely proportional to \(h\) and \(g=7\) when \(h=90\)

      find \(g\) when \(h=1\)
Correct Wrong

      and find \(h\) when \(g=0.9\)
Correct Wrong

5. A teacher shared some cherries between a group of children on the playground. There were six children in the group and they got four cherries each. How many cherries would they have got each if there were eight children in the group?
Correct Wrong

6. A fish pond can be filled in ten hours by three identical hose pipes. How many hours would it take to fill the pond by five identical hose pipes?
Correct Wrong

7. The volume V of a given mass of gas varies inversely as the pressure P. When V = 10m3, P = 100 Nm-2. Find the volume in cubic metres when the pressure is 250 Nm-2.
Correct Wrong

8. Click or tap on the graph which could represent inverse proportion.
AGraph A BGraph B CGraph C DGraph D EGraph E
Correct Wrong
Check

This is Direct and Inverse Proportion level 2. You can also try:
Level 1 Level 3

Instructions

Try your best to answer the questions above. Type your answers into the boxes provided leaving no spaces. As you work through the exercise regularly click the "check" button. If you have any wrong answers, do your best to do corrections but if there is anything you don't understand, please ask your teacher for help.

When you have got all of the questions correct you may want to print out this page and paste it into your exercise book. If you keep your work in an ePortfolio you could take a screen shot of your answers and paste that into your Maths file.

Why am I learning this?

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Description of Levels

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Level 1 - Direct proportion

Level 2 - Inverse proportion

Level 3 - Mixed non-linear questions

Unitary Method - Test your understanding of the Unitary Method for solving real life proportion problems with this online, self-marking quiz.

Exam Style Questions - A collection of problems in the style of GCSE or IB/A-level exam paper questions (worked solutions are available for Transum subscribers).

More on this topic including lesson Starters, visual aids, investigations and self-marking exercises.

Answers to this exercise are available lower down this page when you are logged in to your Transum account. If you don’t yet have a Transum subscription one can be very quickly set up if you are a teacher, tutor or parent.

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Direct and Inverse Proportion

This video is from Mannel's Maths Music.

Level 1 Example

If \(a\) varies directly with \(b\) and \(a=24\) when \(b=8\) find \(a\) when \(b=9\)

$$a \propto b$$ $$a = kb$$

Where \(k\) is some constant. If \(a=24\) when \(b=8\) then

$$24 = 8k$$ $$k = 3$$

so the equation is

$$a = 3b$$

If \(b = 9\) then

$$a = 3 \times 9 = 27$$

Level 2 Example

If \(a\) is inversely proportional to \(b\) and \(a=4\) when \(b=6\) find \(a\) when \(b=8\)

$$a \propto \frac{1}{b}$$ $$a = \frac{k}{b}$$

Where \(k\) is some constant. If \(a=4\) when \(b=6\) then

$$4 = \frac{k}{6}$$ $$k = 24$$

so the equation is

$$a = \frac{24}{b}$$

If \(b = 8\) then

$$a = 24 \div 8 = 3$$

Level 3 Example

If \(a\) is directly proportional to the square of \(b\) and \(a=24\) when \(b=2\) find \(a\) when \(b=3\)

$$a \propto b^2$$ $$a = kb^2$$

Where \(k\) is some constant. If \(a=24\) when \(b=2\) then

$$24 = 2^2 \times k$$ $$k = 6$$

so the equation is

$$a = 6b^2$$

If \(b = 3\) then

$$a = 6 \times 3^2 = 54$$

Don't wait until you have finished the exercise before you click on the 'Check' button. Click it often as you work through the questions to see if you are answering them correctly. You can double-click the 'Check' button to make it float at the bottom of your screen.

Answers to this exercise are available lower down this page when you are logged in to your Transum account. If you don’t yet have a Transum subscription one can be very quickly set up if you are a teacher, tutor or parent.

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