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MA21-03 Maths Coming soon

Solve inverse proportion problems

MA21-03

This lesson is coming soon.

In this lesson

Solve an inverse-proportion word problem by identifying the correct (reciprocal) scale factor and applying it in the opposite direction to the given change.

What it covers

  • Solving inverse-proportion word problems numerically using a unitary or scale-factor method
  • Explicitly checking direction before calculating (does this go up or down?)
  • Handling a non-integer (fractional/decimal) scale factor and interpreting the resulting answer sensibly in context
  • Recognising that y=k/x means y is inversely proportional to x, as a label for the method already used

Key words

For: AQA GCSE 8300, Cambridge IGCSE 0580, Edexcel GCSE 1MA1, Edexcel IGCSE 4MA1, Eduqas GCSE C300, OCR GCSE J560

On the specification

BoardSpecStatement
AQA GCSE 8300R10Solve problems involving direct and inverse proportion, including graphical and algebraic representations
Cambridge IGCSE 0580E2.8Express direct and inverse proportion in algebraic terms and use this form of expression to find unknown quantities.
Edexcel GCSE 1MA1R10Solve problems involving direct and inverse proportion, including graphical and algebraic representations
Edexcel IGCSE 4MA1H2.5ASet up problems involving direct or inverse proportion and relate algebraic solutions to graphical representation of the equations
Eduqas GCSE C300FR11Solve problems involving direct and inverse proportion, including graphical and algebraic representations
Eduqas GCSE C300HR11Solve problems involving direct and inverse proportion, including graphical and algebraic representations
OCR GCSE J5605.02bSolve simple word problems involving quantities in inverse proportion or simple algebraic proportions.
For teachers

This GCSE Maths lesson teaches solve inverse proportion problems. By the end, students should be able to solve an inverse-proportion word problem by identifying the correct (reciprocal) scale factor and applying it in the opposite direction to the given change. It works through two worked examples and the mistakes examiners report.