What's the Direct Variation or Direct Proportionality Formula?

What's the Direct Variation or Direct Proportionality Formula?

Note:

Ever heard of two things being directly proportional? Well, a good example is speed and distance. The bigger your speed, the farther you'll go over a given time period. So as one variable goes up, the other goes up too, and that's the idea of direct proportionality. But you can express direct proportionality using equations, and that's an important thing to do in algebra. See how to do that in the tutorial!

Keywords:

  • formula
  • definition
  • direct variation
  • variation
  • direct
  • directly proportional
  • proportional
  • constant of variation

Background Tutorials

  • Solve absolute value linear equations

      • What's the Inverse Variation or Indirect Proportionality Formula?What's the Inverse Variation or Indirect Proportionality Formula?

      What's the Inverse Variation or Indirect Proportionality Formula?

      Ever heard of two things being inversely proportional? Well, a good example is speed and time. The bigger your speed, the less time it takes to get to where you are going. So when one variable is big, the other is small, and that's the idea of inverse proportionality. But you can express inverse proportionality using equations, and that's an important thing to do in algebra. See how to do that in the tutorial!

Further Exploration

  • apply mathematics to problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace

  • communicate mathematical ideas, reasoning, and their implications using multiple representations, including symbols, diagrams, graphs, and language as appropriate

      • How Do You Solve a Word Problem Using the Direct Variation Formula?How Do You Solve a Word Problem Using the Direct Variation Formula?

      How Do You Solve a Word Problem Using the Direct Variation Formula?

      Word problems allow you to see math in action! Take a look at this word problem involving an object's weight on Earth compared to its weight on the Moon. See how the formula for direct variation plays an important role in finding the solution. Then use that formula to see how much you would weigh on the Moon!

  • Solve mathematic and scientific formulas, and other literal equations, for a specified variable

      • How Do You Use the Formula for Direct Variation?How Do You Use the Formula for Direct Variation?

      How Do You Use the Formula for Direct Variation?

      If two things are directly proportional, you can bet that you'll need to use the formula for direct variation to solve! In this tutorial, you'll see how to use the formula for direct variation to find the constant of variation and then solve for your answer.