Question

Phil is riding his bike. He rides 58 miles in 4 hours, 72.5 miles in 5 hours, and 87 miles in 6 hours. Find theconstant of proportionality and write an equation to describe the situation. Let x represent the number ofhours.

Answer 1

Let x represent the number of hours and y represent the number of miles. The proportionality is represented by:

y = kx

where k is the constant of proportionality

When y = 58, x = 4; when y = 72.5, x = 5; when y = 87, x = 6, then k is:

58/4 = 14.5

72.5/5 = 14.5

87/6 = 14.5

And the equation is:

y = 14.5x