What is an inverse proportion?

Inverse proportion refers to a relationship between two quantities where an increase in one quantity results in a decrease in the other, and vice versa. This means that as one quantity moves in a positive direction (increases), the other moves in a negative direction (decreases). Mathematically, if one quantity is represented as ( x ) and another as ( y ), when ( x ) increases, ( y ) must decrease to keep the product ( xy = k ) (where ( k ) is a constant) stable.

This relationship is crucial in various real-world applications. For instance, if you consider the speed of a vehicle and the time it takes to reach a destination: as speed increases, the time taken decreases, assuming the distance remains constant.

The other options do not capture the essence of inverse proportion. For example, an increase in one quantity leading to an increase in another indicates a direct proportional relationship, which is the opposite of inverse proportion. Additionally, stating that two quantities increase together again suggests a direct correlation, while independently varied quantities suggest no dependency at all, which does not align with the definition of inverse proportions.