Back to homeMathematics · High School Year 2 · Physics-Math · Change subject
Start for free
Prep 2 Tech · Mathematics
Functions · Limits and continuity

Inverse Proportionality Function

Before you start, make sure you know: Inverse proportionality functions: k/x (High School Year 1 (semesters 1 and 2))
Before you start, make sure you know: Algebraic fractions (High School Year 1 (semesters 1 and 2))

Your group wants to rent a bus to go to Teotihuacan, and the rental costs $\$600$. If $2$ people go, each pays $\$300$; if $100$ go, each pays only $\$6$. The more people there are, the less each one pays, but it never gets down to $\$0$. This relationship is inverse proportionality, and its graph is a curve with two branches that never touch the axes: the hyperbola. Could the trip be free if a huge number of people went? We answer this at the end.

The function $f(x)=\dfrac{k}{x}$

Move the slider for $k$ and watch how the branches change: with $k>0$ they lie in the first and third quadrants; with $k<0$, in the second and fourth.

Practice★☆☆Not started
Given that the function $f(x) = \frac{k}{x}$ passes through the point $(2, 6)$, find the value of the constant $k$ and calculate $\lim_{x \to 0^+} f(x)$.

Given that the function $f(x) = \frac{k}{x}$ passes through the point $(2, 6)$, find the value of the constant $k$ and calculate $\lim_{x \to 0^+} f(x)$.

Solve

Limits at infinity and asymptotes

When $x$ grows without bound, $\dfrac{k}{x}$ becomes as small as you like: it gets closer to $0$ without ever touching it. The line $y=0$ is its horizontal asymptote.

Graph of the hyperbola f(x) = k/x with k greater than zero: two branches in the first and third quadrants and asymptotes along the axes x = 0 and y = 0. y = 0 x = 0 first-quadrant branch (k > 0)

Near $x=0$ the opposite happens: the quotient shoots toward $+\infty$ or $-\infty$, depending on the sign of $k$ and the side from which you approach. The line $x=0$ is its vertical asymptote.

Practice★☆☆Not started
Given the inverse proportion function $f(x) = \frac{4}{x-3}$, determine its domain and calculate the one-sided limits as $x$ tends to $3$.

Given the inverse proportion function $f(x) = \frac{4}{x-3}$, determine its domain and calculate the one-sided limits as $x$ tends to $3$.

Solve
Practice★☆☆Not started
Calculate the limits of the function $g(x) = \frac{-5}{x}$ as $x \to +\infty$ and as $x \to -\infty$. Interpret the result geometrically.

Calculate the limits of the function $g(x) = \frac{-5}{x}$ as $x \to +\infty$ and as $x \to -\infty$. Interpret the result geometrically.

Solve
Practice★☆☆Not started
The time $t$ (in hours) taken to travel a distance of $120$ km as a function of the average speed $v$ (in km/h) is given by $t(v) = \frac{120}{v}$. Calculate the limit…

The time $t$ (in hours) taken to travel a distance of $120$ km as a function of the average speed $v$ (in km/h) is given by $t(v) = \frac{120}{v}$. Calculate the limit of $t(v)$ as $v \to +\infty$ and explain its physical meaning.

Solve
Practice★★☆Not started
To organize a trip, the cost of renting the bus is $12\,000$ pesos, which will be split equally among those attending. The function defining the cost per person as a…

To organize a trip, the cost of renting the bus is $12\,000$ pesos, which will be split equally among those attending. The function defining the cost per person as a function of the number of attendees $x$ is $C(x) = \frac{12\,000}{x}$.

Calculate $\lim_{x \to 0^+} C(x)$ and $\lim_{x \to +\infty} C(x)$. Interpret both results in the context of the problem.

Solve

Models with inverse proportionality

In science, $y=\dfrac{k}{x}$ shows up a lot. First you find $k$ from one data point (as $k = x\cdot y$) and then you study and interpret the limits: $x\to 0^+$ (a very small quantity) and $x\to+\infty$ (a huge quantity). For example, in Boyle's law, $V=\dfrac{k}{P}$: if the pressure grows without bound, the volume tends to $0$, although a real gas is not compressed until it disappears.

Practice★★☆Not started
Boyle's Law states that, at constant temperature, the volume $V$ occupied by a gas is inversely proportional to the pressure $P$ to which it is subjected, that is,…

Boyle's Law states that, at constant temperature, the volume $V$ occupied by a gas is inversely proportional to the pressure $P$ to which it is subjected, that is, $V(P) = \frac{k}{P}$. If at a pressure of $1.5$ atmospheres the gas occupies a volume of $4$ liters:

  1. a) Find the value of the constant $k$.
  2. b) Calculate $\lim_{P \to +\infty} V(P)$ and explain what happens to the gas if the pressure increases indefinitely.
Solve
Practice★★☆Not started
The intensity of an acoustic signal $I$ (in watts per square meter) received by a microphone decreases inversely proportional to the distance $d$ (in meters) from the…

The intensity of an acoustic signal $I$ (in watts per square meter) received by a microphone decreases inversely proportional to the distance $d$ (in meters) from the loudspeaker, following the model $I(d) = \frac{150}{d}$.

  1. a) Calculate $\lim_{d \to 0^+} I(d)$ and explain why the microphone cannot be placed right next to the loudspeaker.
  2. b) Calculate $\lim_{d \to +\infty} I(d)$ and interpret the result.
Solve

The homographic function

Adding a constant or shifting the $x$ translates the basic hyperbola without changing its shape. The result is a homographic function, whose asymptotes are no longer necessarily the axes.

To write a function like this as a single quotient $\dfrac{ax+b}{cx+d}$, you have to add the constant as a fraction with the same denominator.

Practice★☆☆Not started
Find the equation of the horizontal asymptote and the vertical asymptote of the homographic function $h(x) = \frac{2x+1}{x-4}$.

Find the equation of the horizontal asymptote and the vertical asymptote of the homographic function $h(x) = \frac{2x+1}{x-4}$.

Solve
Practice★★☆Not started
Given the function $f(x) = \frac{3x-1}{x+2}$: a) Calculate the intersection points with the coordinate axes. b) Find the equations of its asymptotes by evaluating the…

Given the function $f(x) = \frac{3x-1}{x+2}$:

  1. a) Calculate the intersection points with the coordinate axes.
  2. b) Find the equations of its asymptotes by evaluating the corresponding limits.
Solve
Practice★★★Not started
Starting from the basic inverse proportion function $f(x) = \frac{1}{x}$, a translation of $3$ units to the right and $2$ units upwards is applied to obtain a new…

Starting from the basic inverse proportion function $f(x) = \frac{1}{x}$, a translation of $3$ units to the right and $2$ units upwards is applied to obtain a new function $g(x)$.

  1. a) Write the algebraic expression for $g(x)$ in the form $\frac{ax+b}{cx+d}$.
  2. b) Prove, by calculating limits, that the asymptotes of $g(x)$ coincide with the translations applied to the coordinate axes.
Solve

When the denominator approaches zero

If the denominator has a subtraction like $100-p$, the model shoots up when $p\to100^-$: the numerator stays near a fixed number and the denominator is positive and very small. For example, $C(p)=\dfrac{2{,}400p}{100-p}$ has a numerator near $240{,}000$ and a denominator $\to 0^+$, so $C\to+\infty$. That explains why in practice you cannot eliminate $100\%$ of something when the cost grows without bound.

And if the function is $v(S)=\dfrac{V_{max}\,S}{K_m+S}$, it is a homographic function: its horizontal asymptote is $y=V_{max}$, the maximum value that the speed never fully reaches.

Practice★★★Not started
The cost $C$ (in thousands of pesos) to remove $p$ percent of the pollutants from a lake is modeled by the function $C(p) = \frac{2\,400p}{100-p}$, valid for…

The cost $C$ (in thousands of pesos) to remove $p$ percent of the pollutants from a lake is modeled by the function $C(p) = \frac{2\,400p}{100-p}$, valid for $0 \le p < 100$.

  1. a) Calculate the cost of removing $50\%$ and $90\%$ of the pollutants.
  2. b) Calculate $\lim_{p \to 100^-} C(p)$ and explain, from an economic and environmental point of view, why it is impossible to remove $100\%$ of the pollutants.
p (%) C(p) 50 90 100 p = 100 2 400 21 600
Solve
Practice★★★Not started
In biochemistry, Michaelis-Menten kinetics describes the rate of an enzymatic reaction $v$ as a function of the substrate concentration $S$. The equation is…

In biochemistry, Michaelis-Menten kinetics describes the rate of an enzymatic reaction $v$ as a function of the substrate concentration $S$. The equation is $v(S) = \frac{V_{max} \times S}{K_m + S}$, where $V_{max} = 100 \,\mu\text{mol/s}$ is the maximum velocity and $K_m = 5 \text{ mM}$ is a constant.

  1. a) Calculate $\lim_{S \to +\infty} v(S)$ and state what $V_{max}$ represents graphically.
  2. b) Find the substrate concentration $S$ required for the reaction rate to be exactly half of its maximum asymptotic limit.
Solve

Sums with a term that shoots up

Sometimes the function is the sum of a linear term and an inverse proportionality term, like the perimeter of a rectangle with fixed area. Each addend is studied separately and then the results are put together.

When the fraction can be simplified

Not every fraction with $x$ in the denominator is a "pure" inverse proportionality: if the numerator shares a root with the denominator, the fraction simplifies and a removable discontinuity appears instead of an asymptote.

Graph of the line y = x + 2 with a hole at x = 2: a removable discontinuity, not an asymptote. x = 2 (not an asymptote) line x + 2 with a hole
Practice★★☆Not started
Determine the domain and study the continuity of the function $f(x) = \frac{x^2-4}{x-2}$. Is it a pure inverse proportion function? Justify your answer by calculating…

Determine the domain and study the continuity of the function $f(x) = \frac{x^2-4}{x-2}$. Is it a pure inverse proportion function? Justify your answer by calculating the limit as $x \to 2$.

Solve
Practice★★★Not started
We want to construct a rectangle of fixed area equal to $36 \text{ cm}^2$. If we let $x$ be the length of the base, the perimetre of the rectangle as a function of $x$…

We want to construct a rectangle of fixed area equal to $36 \text{ cm}^2$. If we let $x$ be the length of the base, the perimetre of the rectangle as a function of $x$ is given by $P(x) = 2x + \frac{72}{x}$.

  1. a) Calculate $\lim_{x \to 0^+} P(x)$ and $\lim_{x \to +\infty} P(x)$.
  2. b) Geometrically interpret what shape the rectangle takes in each of these two limiting cases and why the perimetre tends to infinity in both situations.
Solve

Back to the beginning: the cost per person of the bus is $C(x) = \dfrac{600}{x}$ pesos. Since $\displaystyle\lim_{x\to+\infty}\frac{600}{x}=0$, the price gets close to $\$0$; but $y=0$ is an asymptote that the curve never touches, so the trip will never be completely free.

Summary

See all the exercises in this section