Inversely means in an opposite or reverse way, where one thing increases as another decreases. When two things are inversely related, they move in opposite directions: as one goes up, the other goes down.

Think about a see-saw: as one side rises, the other falls. That's an inverse relationship. Or imagine you're sharing a pizza with friends. The more people who show up (that number increases), the smaller each person's slice becomes (that amount decreases). The number of people and the size of each slice are inversely related.

In math and science, inverse relationships appear constantly. The harder you press the gas pedal, the less time it takes to reach your destination. The closer you stand to a campfire, the warmer you feel; the farther away, the cooler. Distance and warmth are inversely related.

When something varies inversely with something else, the two things have a push-pull relationship. Understanding inverse relationships helps you predict what will happen: if you know one thing is increasing, you can figure out that the other must be decreasing.