Question

The time it takes to wash all the windows on a large building w(x) varies inversely with the number of workers assigned to the job x. It takes 6 hours to complete the job when 4 workers are assigned to it. Which equation can be used to find the time to complete the job when x workers are assigned to it?

Answer 1

Explanation:

a direct variation looks like

y = kx

an inverse variation is then

y = k/x

with the given pair of (x, y) we calculate the k :

6 = k/4

6×4 = k

24 = k

our equation uses this k, as all such pairs of (x, y) represent the same relationship :

y = 24/x