Mathematics ACT Aspire Practice Test

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Study for the Mathematics ACT Aspire Test. Master concepts through a mix of questions. Dive into explanations and hints for a thorough understanding. Elevate your test readiness!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

What characterizes proportional relationships?

They have varying ratios
They have a constant ratio
They are always nonproportional
They can only be whole numbers

The correct answer is: They have a constant ratio

Proportional relationships are defined by having a constant ratio between two quantities. This means that as one quantity changes, the other quantity changes at a consistent rate, which can be expressed mathematically as $ y = kx $, where $ k $ is the constant of proportionality. In such relationships, if you were to create a table of values for the two quantities, the ratios of the corresponding values would always yield the same number. For example, if the quantities are $ x $ and $ y $, and the pair is (2, 4), (3, 6), and (4, 8), the ratios $ 4/2 $, $ 6/3 $, and $ 8/4 $ all equal 2, demonstrating that the relationship is proportional. This concept is foundational in understanding ratios and can be applied in various contexts, such as in direct variation problems. It distinguishes proportional relationships from other types of relationships, where ratios may change and do not maintain a constant value.