Direct Variation Exploration Name:_____________________________

Congrats! Youve just taken on a job at FredEx. Your job is with package design, and you need to decide how
to stack items for shipping. Your first task is to stack boxes that are each 13 inches high.

1) Complete the table and make a graph of the data points.

13in
Number of Boxes Height of the Stack
(x) (y)

0
1
2
3
4
5
6

2) What pattern(s) do you notice about the table and the graph?

3) a. Is there a constant rate of change? In other words, are your x values always multiplied by the same
amount to get the corresponding y values? Yes No

b. If you said yes, what is that constant that is always being multiplied by x? _______________

c. What is the equation in this situation? Use y = kx, and just replace the k with your answer to part b.

4) a. What does the y in your equation represent? (Hint: refer back to your table and graph.)

b. What does the x in your equation represent? (Hint: refer back to your table and graph.)

5) a. Which value is your dependent variable? _____________________________________

Why?

b. Which value is your independent variable? ___________________________________

Why?
6) What would be the height of 13 boxes?

7) These two values are directly proportional to each other. This is called a direct variation. In terms of
stacking the boxes, the _________________________ varies directly as the _________________________.

Therefore, this is a direct variation.

8) Using variables x and y to represent the two values, you can say that y varies directly as x. You can also say
that y depends on the value of x.

Direct variation is defined as y = kx, where k 0 and the coefficient k is the constant of variation.

a. Consider your answer to Item 3c. What is the constant, k and what does it represent? ________

b. Why do you think it is called the constant of variation?

9) Why cant k equal zero?

10) Write an equation for finding a constant of variation by solving the equation y = kx for k.

11) What does the point (0,0) mean on your table and graph?

12) True or False? Explain your answer.

The graphs of ALL direct variations are straight lines that pass through the point (0,0).

13) True or False? In a direct variation, y will increase as x increases.

Mr. Fred, owner of FredEx, gives you the following data on another box type. Fill in whats missing.

14) Fill in Mr. Freds table: Heres his graph: Heres the equation:
Number of Height of the
Boxes Stack
(x) (y)
0
1 Whats the height of
1 box?
2
3
A stack that reaches
4
150 inches high is
5 how many boxes?
6

The data above represents a direct variation.

Mr. Fred gives you data on a third type of box. Fill in whats missing.

15) Fill in Mr. Freds table: Heres his graph: Heres the equation:
Number of Height of the
Boxes Stack y = 8.5x
(x) (y)
0
Whats the height of
1 1 box?
2
3 A stack that reaches
4 85 inches high is
how many boxes?
5
6
 The data above represents a direct variation.
16) Mr. Fred asks you to compile data on boxes with these heights: 5.25 inches, 3.9 inches, and 9.5 inches.

Their equations: y = 5.25x

y = 3.9x
y = 9.5x

a. On your graphing calculator, go to Y= and type in the three equations above. What do you see/notice?

b. Which equation gives a steeper line? ____________________

Why?

17. The last type of item you are preparing to package is a set of traffic cones. Each cone is a total of 30
inches tall. However, when stacked, only the base of each cone will add to the height, except for the cone
on top. Each base is 2 inches tall. Fill in the table of values and graph it. Also, determine the equation.

Fill in the table: Graph your data:

Number of Height of the
Cones Stack
StackingCones
____in (x) (y)
0
1
2
3
2in
2in 4
2in
2in 5
6
#ofCones

What is the equation? Be careful on this one!

Is this a direct variation? Explain your answer.