Find five negative and five positive x values between -10 and 10. Record them in a table with the corresponding y-values. Be creative! Try some non-integers.
Values like 1/2 and 1/10, -1/2 and -1/10 are interesting to try. Close Tip
Create a graph of this function. What happens as the graph gets near the y-axis? Will it ever cross the y-axis?
Make sure this graph includes points where x is positive, and other points where x is negative. See Problem B8 if you're unsure what will happen if x = 0. Close Tip
You've seen two kinds of functions that have similar names: proportion (or direct variation) and inverse proportion (or inverse variation). Compare and contrast these two functions. What does the word "inverse" indicate in this case? Note 7
The equation (x)(y) = 1 is a special kind of inverse variation. How are x and y related in this equation? What does this relationship have to do with solving equations?
Problems B8-B10 adapted from IMPACT Mathematics Course 3, developed by Education Development Center, Inc. (New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2000), p. 111.
