SOLUTION: Fill in the blanks to make a true statement. The variables x and y are inversely proportional. If x = 1, then y = 2. And if x = 2, then y = ___.

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Question 1210621: Fill in the blanks to make a true statement.

The variables x and y are inversely proportional. If x = 1, then y = 2. And if x = 2, then y = ___.



Answer by greenestamps(13355)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!


Informally, two variables are inversely proportional if when one gets larger by some factor n the other gets smaller by that same factor.

Using that concept, the value of x gets doubled from 1 to 2, so the value of y must be cut in half. Half of 2 is 1.
ANSWER: 1

Formally, this is usually displayed like this: . With that, it is easily seen that when x get larger y gets smaller and when x gets smaller y get larger.

In many (most) problems involving inverse proportion, the same relationship is more conveniently displayed as -- that is, the product of the two variables is constant. Again with this representation it is easy to see that as one gets larger the other gets smaller and vice versa.

With this interpretation, 1*2 = 2; then 2*y = 2 means y is 1.
ANSWER: 1


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