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If x varies inversely as the square of y and if x=3 when y=-1, what is the value of x when y =3

User Katriel
by
4.4k points

1 Answer

0 votes

Answer:


x would be
(1/3) when
y = 3.

Explanation:

The question states that
x varies "inversely" as
y^2. In other words, there is a non-zero number
a (a constant) such that:


\displaystyle x = (a)/(y^2).

The challenging part is to find the value of
a in this equation.

Given that
x = 3 when
y = -1, replace the
x in this equation with
3 and
y with
(-1). This equation should still be valid:


\displaystyle 3 = (a)/((-1)^(2)).

Solve for
a:


a = 3 * (-1)^2 = 3.

Hence, the relation between
x and
y becomes:


\displaystyle x = (3)/(y^2).

Find the value of
x when
y = 3 by replacing the
y in this equation with
3.


\displaystyle x = (3)/(3^2) = (1)/(3).

In other words, the value of
x would be
\displaystyle (1)/(3) when
y = 3.

User Daniel Rosenwasser
by
4.1k points