I've been taking an ODE course and a word problem involved some quantity $x$ being directly and inversely proportional to others. I recall it said something like: $x$ is directly proportional to $y$ and $z$ and inversely proportional to $t$. I didn't really paused and ponder that the appropriate formula for $x$ was $x = k\dfrac{yz}{t}$, for some $k \in \mathbb{R}$. I assumed that this proportionality took place whenever the other variables were held constant.
However, today I wanted to, step by step, get to the formula given above. Writing all definitions: $x = a\cdot y$, $x = b \cdot z$ and $x = \dfrac{c}{t}$. But I wasn't able to get to that formula!
I'm stuck. Can anyone shed some light on this problem?