Q:

9. Find the constant of variation, k, for y= –8 when x = 12.show your work

Accepted Solution

A:
The answer to this question depends on whether x and y are directly or inversely related.

Since you have not provided the relation between the two variables, I will provide the answer in both cases.

1- In case x was directly proportional to y:
This means that as x increases, y increases and vice-versa.
Translating this into an equation, we would get the following:
y = kx
where k is the constant of proportionality.
Now, we are given that:
y = -8 at x = 12
Substitute with these givens in the above equation to get k as follows:
-8 = k * 12
k = -8/12
k = -2/3

2- In case x was inversely proportional to y:
This means that as x increases, y decreases and vice-versa.
Translating this into an equation, we would get the following:
y = k / x
where k is the constant of proportionality.
Now, we are given that:
y = -8 at x = 12
Substitute with these givens in the above equation to get k as follows:
-8 = k / 12
k = -8*12
k = -96

Hope this helps :)