Relationships of variables Chemistry Dr.

Breinan v3
In science, the type of mathematical relationship between two variables is extremely important.
The two that you will study most often in chemistry are inverse and direct.
These two terms can have several different meanings, but we will agree at the start of the year
to use them for two very specific relationships which are better called proportions. Read on
for the explanation.
Direct:
Let us consider two different variables, A and B. These could represent temperature, pressure,
heat, mass, volume, etc.
The simplest definition of a direct relationship is that when one variable increases, the other
increases. This also means that when one decreases, the other decreases. This is a very
general idea and there are literally infinitely many relationships that would fall under this
category. Any graph that slopes up and to the right would qualify under this simplistic
definition. It is best to call these positive relationships (a graph of the data has positive
slope) because
when a chemist reports a direct relationship, she would generally be referring to a specific
type of direct relationship more properly called a direct proportion. Thus when you or I say
relationship we really mean proportion!
**The relationship between A and B is defined as direct if, for all the different trials in an
experiment, A divided by B is always the same value, called a constant. In mathematical form,
a direct relationship is shown by
A
B
= k . The symbols k and c are often used for
constant.
If such a relationship exists, it is correct to say that A and B are directly related or directly
proportional. (One more time: it is best to say a direct proportion but we will use
relationship to mean the same.)
The graph of a direct relationship is very distinctive. If a graph is a straight line with a positive
slope AND goes through the point (0,0), then the relationship is direct. Not all straight line
graphs are direct because some slope the wrong way (negative slope, down and to the right)
and some do not go through (0,0). (The general term for a straight line graph is linear)
One characteristic of a direct relationship is that as A increases in value, B also increases in
value (recall that that is the most general definition). But, our definition is much more
restrictive it must satisfy other tests as well as explained above. Thus the fact that A
increases when B increases may lead us to suspect that a direct relationship exists, but it is
NOT PROOF! To prove it we have to show a straight line graph sloping up and to the right
through (0,0) or we need to show that in multiple trials A/B (or B/A) always equals the same
number. This best test is best shown by a table of values as follows:
Showing a direct relatiohship (PROOF from data!)
If you obtain data for variables A and B, add a column which calculates B/A (or A/B). If this value is
constant, the relationship is direct. If is not constant, it is not direct. See the following two examples:
trial A B B/A trial A B B/A
1 0.20 0.81 4.0 1 0.30 1.2 4.0
2 0.80 3.25 4.1 2 0.80 8.1 10
3 2.75 11.15 4.05 3 2.75 76.0 27.6
4 3.32 13.40 4.04 4 3.32 140.2 42.2
B/A is constant. This is direct! B/A is not constant. This is not direct.
Relationships of variables Chemistry Dr. Breinan p. 2
Inverse:
The simplest definition of an inverse relationship is that when one variable increases, the other
decreases. This also means that when one decreases, the other increases. This is also a very
general idea and there are literally infinitely many relationships that would fall under this
category. Any graph that slopes down and to the right would qualify under this simplistic
definition. It is best to just call this a negative relationship (for negative slope) because.
when a chemist reports an inverse relationship, she would generally be referring to a specific
type of inverse relationship more properly called an inverse proportion. Thus when you or I
say relationship we really mean proportion!
**The relationship between A and B is defined as inverse if, for all the different trials in an
experiment, A multiplied by B is always the same value (constant). In mathematical form, an
inverse relationship is shown by AB = k.
If such a relationship exists, it is correct to say that A and B are inversely related or
inversely proportional (One last time: it is best to say an inverse proportion but we will
use relationship to mean the same.)
The graph of an inverse relationship is a function called a hyperbola. You will learn what this
looks like later in the year. You should know that graphs of other relationships can appear
similar to this type of graph even though they are not the same.
Similar to what we learned about a direct relationship, if A increases in value and B decreases
in value (or vice versa) this is just one characteristic of an inverse relationship, but it is NOT
PROOF! If we suspect that an inverse relationship exists, the table test is the best proof (in this
case we are looking for A*B (or B*A) to equal a constant:
Proving an inverse relationship with a table:
trial A B B*A trial A B B*A
1 0.20 81.6 16 1 0.30 122 37
2 0.80 21.5 17 2 0.80 81 65
3 2.75 6.3 17 3 2.75 36 99
4 3.32 4.7 16 4 3.32 33 110
B*A is constant. This is inverse! B*A is not constant. This is not inverse.
Algebraic Proof of direct and inverse relationships:
The mathematical definitions given above do constitute proof of a direct or inverse
relationship. However, be aware that algebra lets you change the appearance of an equation
without changing the relationship of variables! For example, a direct relationship between A
and B can be written in any of the following ways:
A
B
= k , B
k
A
= , or A = Bk
These all represent the same direct relationship. Similarly, an inverse relationship can be
written as any of these: AB = k, A
B
k
= , or B
A
k
= . In each case, the first expression is
most useful because the constant is solved for and you can use the descriptions given above
(variables divided to give a constant are directly related; variables multiplied to give a constant
are inversely related.) Solving for the constant in an equation is a reliable way of determining
inverse or direct relationships.
The worksheet on the following page will help you practice all these skills.
Relationships of variables worksheet Chemistry Dr. Breinan
P1. For an object moving at constant speed (v), the relationship of distance (d) traveled and time (t)
traveled is: v
t
d
= . (a) Is the relationship between distance and time inverse or direct?
(b) This relationship can be written as d = vt. Is the relationship between d and t now inverse or
direct?
P2. An electrical circuit in your home operates at constant voltage (V). The resistance of the circuit
(R) is related to the current (I) by V = I R. (a) Is the relationship between current and resistance
inverse or direct? (b) if the equation is written as R
I
V
= , is the relationship of I and R now inverse or
direct?
P3. Determine whether the relationship of fluid pressure (P) and the height of a column of fluid (h) is
inverse or direct at constant weight density (wd). P = wd h.
Distinguishing direct from inverse by experiment (PROOF from data!)
If you obtain data for variables A and B, you can determine whether they have a direct, inverse, or
other type of relationship by completing a table like the one below and seeing if you get a constant (the
same value each time) in one of the columns. Once again if A/B is constant, the relationship is direct.
If AB is a constant the relationship is inverse. If neither column is constant, the relationship is neither
inverse nor direct. Remember, when working with real data, the constant may vary a little bit due to
experimental errors. This table shows a direct relationship because the A/B column is essentially
constant.
trial A B A/B AB
1 0.15 0.89 .17 .13
2 1.34 8.0 .17 11
3 52.7 316 .167 16700
4 332 1940 .171 6.44x10
5
P4. (a) Is the value of B increasing or decreasing when A increases? (b) Based only on your answer to
(a), could the relationship of A and B be direct? inverse? (c) Fill out the table and state whether the
relationship is inverse, direct, or other.
trial A B A/B AB
1 4.5 0.89
2 0.34 11.91
3 2.7 1.45
4 8.8 0.45
P5. Heres a few more!
For each table below answer the following:
P1a) direct (b) direct (same relationship, just written differently) P2a) inverse (b) inverse (same
relationship, just written differently) P3) direct (solve for wd because it is the constant) P4a) B decreases.
(b) It could be inverse, but it cannot be direct (c) The relationship is inverse because AB always equals 4.0.
Relationships of variables Chemistry Dr. Breinan p. 4
(a) Look at the table. Is the value of B increasing or decreasing when A increases?
(b) Based only on your answer to (a), could A and B be related directly? (yes or no?)
(c) Based only on your answer to (a), could A and B be related inversely? (yes or no?)
(d) Fill out the table and state whether the relationship is truly inverse, direct, or other.
(e) In the right hand margin area, make a quick sketch of what the graph would look like and state
whether the relationship is positive, negative, or other.
Ex.1
trial A B A/B AB a)
1 0.15 0.89
2 1.34 8.0 b)
3 52.7 316
4 332 1940 c)
d)
Ex.2
trial A B A/B AB a)
1 1.2 1.9
2 2.7 2.5 b)
3 9.5 3.6
4 12.8 3.9 c)
d)
Ex.3
trial A B A/B AB a)
1 0.35 6.3
2 3.7 145 b)
3 14.5 892
4 28.8 45 c)
5 51.4 2.3
d)