Final answer:
The equation that describes this direct variation is y = 3x.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation that describes this direct variation is y = 3x.
This is because if y varies directly as x, it means that the ratio of y to x is always constant. In this case, when x = 12, y = 9. To find the constant of variation, we can divide y by x: 9/12 = 3/4. Therefore, the equation that describes this direct variation is y = 3x.