The constant of variation is the number that relates two variables that are directly proportional or inversely proportional to one another. But why is it called the constant of variation? This tutorial answers that question, so take a look!
Keywords:
definition
constant of variation
constant
variation
proportionality
constant of proportionality
Background Tutorials
Solve mathematic and scientific formulas, and other literal equations, for a specified variable
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!
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!
If two things are inversely proportional, you can bet that you'll need to use the formula for inverse variation to solve! In this tutorial, you'll see how to use the formula for inverse variation to find the constant of inverse variation and then solve for your answer.