Direct and inverse proportions are important ideas that help us understand ratios. But they work in very different ways.

1. Direct Proportion:

   • When two things are in direct proportion, they both go up or down together. For example, if we say $y$ is directly proportional to $x$, we can write it as $y = kx$. Here, $k$ is a number that stays the same. So, if you make $x$ twice as big, $y$ also becomes twice as big!

2. Inverse Proportion:

   • On the other hand, inverse proportion means that when one thing goes up, the other thing goes down. For instance, if $y$ is inversely proportional to $x$, we can write it as $y = \frac{k}{x}$. In this case, if $x$ gets twice as big, $y$ becomes half as much.

In simple terms, direct proportions move together—when one increases, the other does too. In contrast, inverse proportions move in opposite directions—when one goes up, the other goes down!