Question

An average male lion in captivity requires

8 pounds of food per day. The equation y = 8x
can be used to represent this situation. What is
the constant of proportionality? What does the
constant of proportionality represent in the
context of the problem? (Example 1)
4.

Answer 1

Answer: 8 is actually the constant of proportionality, since it is the number that stays the same regardless of the change in x and y.

Explanation:

Let's say you want to know how many pounds of meat a male lion would eat in a month in order to purchase for the zoo the correct amount of food needed. Let's assume the month was 30 days. we know that 8 is the amount of food per day (that number will not change because it is a constant.

so 30 x 8 = 240 which is what y is for the 30 days.

if you needed two weeks, 14 days. 14 x 8 = 112 pounds for the 14 days.

So you see 8 stays the same for each scenario, so it is the constant that is used for all values of x to find y.