The first thing we must do for this case is to define variables.
We have then:
P: pressure
A: Area of the sole of the shoe
Since the variation is inverse, we have an equation of the form:
![P = k / A](https://img.qammunity.org/2019/formulas/mathematics/middle-school/mgtn16h49uecy53yldssv6xuixr7liuib1.png)
We must find the value of k.
For this, we use the following data:
when the shoes have a sole area of 40 in ^ 2 The pressure is 4 lbs / in ^ 2
Substituting values we have:
![4 = k / 40](https://img.qammunity.org/2019/formulas/mathematics/middle-school/tc5yphb7njzcpoiban5ziq6rwna4n4l76e.png)
From here, let's clear k:
![k = 4 * 40 k = 160](https://img.qammunity.org/2019/formulas/mathematics/middle-school/4poyvbxvolq0vkzelxwxzaqjtwvj0vz5rx.png)
Then, the equation is:
Answer:
The equation that relates these variables is:
![P = 160 / A](https://img.qammunity.org/2019/formulas/mathematics/middle-school/dd0xvi0rykgvshwlls2nbyynl4j3fjwsb4.png)