Frankie and Jake are on a seesaw. They both weigh the same amount and so the seesaw is even. Then, Frankie picks up his 10 pound puppy. What would Jake have to do to make the seesaw even again?
Make conjectures about what you think will happen in these problems and then try test values to see if you are right. In other words, pick numbers to plug in to see if the equations work the way you think they will.

Question

Frankie and Jake are on a seesaw. They both weigh the same amount and so the seesaw is even. Then, Frankie picks up his 10 pound puppy. What would Jake have to do to make the seesaw even again?
Make conjectures about what you think will happen in these problems and then try test values to see if you are right. In other words, pick numbers to plug in to see if the equations work the way you think they will.

anonymous · Answer

1. Think about the equation y = x. If y is multiplied by 10, what happens to x?

2. Does it change if you put other variables in the way? Think about the equation y = abcx. If y is multiplied by 10 and the other variables stay the same, what happens to x?

3. Think about the equation y = 1/x. If y is multiplied by 10, what happens to x?