Question

Patty buys a new car and gets it appraised every few years. After owning the car for 3 years, its value is $15,000. After owning the car for 5 years, its value is $9,000. What is the constant of proportionality in this inverse variation?

Answer 1

Answer: 45,000.

Explanation:

The equation of inverse variation is given by:-

`k=xy`

, where k is the constant of proportionality.

Given: After owning the car for 3 years, its value is $15,000. After owning the car for 5 years, its value is $9,000.

Here,

`x_1=3,\ y_1=15000\\\\x_2=5,\ y_2=9000`

Then,
`k=x_1y_1=3*15000=45,000`

or
`k=x_2y_2=5*9000=45,000` [answer is same in both cases.]

Hence, the constant of proportionality in this inverse variation is 45,000.