SOLUTION: Explain how the constant of variation and the slope are related in a direct variation equation. Please help I'm stuck and need help.
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Question 24077: Explain how the constant of variation and the slope are related in a direct variation equation. Please help I'm stuck and need help. Answer by Earlsdon(6294) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! Compare the slope-intercept form of a linear equation with an equation for direct variation.
Slope-intercept form: m is the slope of the line.
Direct variation: y varies diectly as x. k is the constant of variation.
Do you see the similarity?
Let's compare the two equations using numbers:
Slope-intercept: The slope (m) is 4 and the y-intercept (b) is 3.
Direct variation: To find the value of k, you'll need to know the values of y and x. Let's say that y = 8 when x = 2, so that k = y/x = 8/2 = 4. So you can write:
Now let's graph these two lines and compare them.
The red line is:
The green line is:
Conclusion:
The constant of variation in a direct-variation equation is the slope of the line when the equation is graphed.