This deep dive covers Advanced: Complex Proportions within Proportion for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Proportion in Number for GCSE Mathematics with 12 exam-style questions and 22 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 12 of 15 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 12 of 15
Practice
12 questions
Recall
22 flashcards
Advanced: Complex Proportions
More complex relationships include:
- Square relationships: y ∝ x² (area problems)
- Cube relationships: y ∝ x³ (volume problems)
- Square root: y ∝ √x (some physics laws)
- Combined: z ∝ xy (z proportional to product of x and y)
Key insight: The constant k gives the relationship its "strength"
If y ∝ x² and k = 3, then doubling x makes y four times bigger (×4), but also three times that due to k