Proportion
Two numbers are said to be in proportion to each other if some numeric relationship exists between them. There are several types of proportions, each defined by a separate class of function.
Contents
Direct Proportion
Direct proportion is a proportion in which one number is a multiple of the other. Direct proportion between two numbers and can be expressed as:
where is some real number.
The graph of a direct proportion is always linear.
Often, this will be written as .
Inverse Proportion
Inverse proportion is a proportion in which as one number's absolute value increases, the other's decreases in a directly proportional amount. It can be expressed as:
where is some real number that does not equal zero.
The graph of an inverse proportion is always a hyperbola, with asymptotes at the x and y axes.
Exponential Proportion
A proportion in which one number is equal to a constant raised to the power of the other, or the logarithm of the other, is called an exponential proportion. It can be expressed as either:
- or
for some real number , where is not zero or one.
Problems
Introductory
- Suppose is either or in the following system:
Find the possible values of . (Source)
Intermediate
- is directly proportional to the sum of the squares of and and inversely proportional to and the square of . If when and , find when and , what is ? (Source) (Thanks to Bicameral of the AoPS forum for this one)