QUESTION IMAGE
Question
2 exploration: recognizing inverse variation
go to bigideasmath.com for an interactive tool to investigate this exploration.
work with a partner. the table shows the length x (in inches) and the width y (in inches) of a rectangle. the area of each rectangle is 64 square inches.
a. complete the table.
b. describe the relationship between x and y. explain why y is said to vary inversely with x.
c. draw a scatter plot of the data. what are the characteristics of the graph?
d. write an equation that represents y as a function of x.
communicate your answer
- how can you recognize when two quantities vary directly or inversely?
- does the flapping rate of the wings of a bird vary directly or inversely with the length of its wings? explain your reasoning.
(table and graph as shown in the image: table with x values 1,2,4,8,16,32,64 and empty y column; scatter plot grid with y-axis 0-60 and x-axis 0-40 (approx))
Part (a)
Step1: Recall the area formula for a rectangle
The area \( A \) of a rectangle is given by \( A = x \times y \). We know that \( A = 64 \) square inches, so we can solve for \( y \) in terms of \( x \): \( y=\frac{64}{x} \).
Step2: Calculate \( y \) for each \( x \)
- When \( x = 1 \): \( y=\frac{64}{1}=64 \)
- When \( x = 2 \): \( y=\frac{64}{2}=32 \)
- When \( x = 4 \): \( y=\frac{64}{4}=16 \)
- When \( x = 8 \): \( y=\frac{64}{8}=8 \)
- When \( x = 16 \): \( y=\frac{64}{16}=4 \)
- When \( x = 32 \): \( y=\frac{64}{32}=2 \)
- When \( x = 64 \): \( y=\frac{64}{64}=1 \)
Step1: Analyze the relationship
As \( x \) (length) increases, \( y \) (width) decreases. We can check the product \( x \times y \) for each pair: \( 1\times64 = 64 \), \( 2\times32 = 64 \), \( 4\times16 = 64 \), etc. The product is constant (\( 64 \)).
Step2: Define inverse variation
Two quantities \( x \) and \( y \) vary inversely if their product \( xy = k \) (where \( k \) is a non - zero constant). Here, \( xy = 64 \) (constant), so \( y \) varies inversely with \( x \).
Step1: Plot the points
The data points are \((1, 64)\), \((2, 32)\), \((4, 16)\), \((8, 8)\), \((16, 4)\), \((32, 2)\), \((64, 1)\). When we plot these points on a scatter plot (with \( x \) on the horizontal axis and \( y \) on the vertical axis), we observe the following characteristics:
Step2: Describe the graph
The graph is a curve that approaches the \( x \) - axis as \( x \) increases and approaches the \( y \) - axis as \( x \) approaches \( 0 \) (from the positive side). It is the graph of a hyperbola (since \( y=\frac{64}{x} \) is a rational function whose graph is a hyperbola), and it is in the first quadrant (since \( x \) and \( y \) represent length and width, so they are positive).
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| \( x \) | \( y \) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 32 |
| 4 | 16 |
| 8 | 8 |
| 16 | 4 |
| 32 | 2 |
| 64 | 1 |