Direct Proportion:

Two quantities are said to be directly proportional, if on the increase (or decrease) of the one, the other increases (or decreases) to the same extent.

Eg. Cost is directly proportional to the number of articles.
      (More Articles, More Cost)

Indirect Proportion:

Two quantities are said to be indirectly proportional, if on the increase of the one, the orther decreases to the same extent and vice-versa.

Eg. The time taken by a car is covering a certain distance is inversely proportional to the speed of the car. (More speed, Less is the time taken to cover a distance.)

Note: In solving problems by chain rule, we compare every item with the term to be found out.