In a direct variation, the relationship between two variables \( x \) and \( y \) can be expressed with the equation:
\[ y = kx \]
where \( k \) is the constant of variation.
To find the constant \( k \) using the point (-10, -17), we can substitute these values into the equation:
\[ -17 = k(-10) \]
Now, we solve for \( k \):
\[ -17 = -10k \]
Dividing both sides by -10 gives:
\[ k = \frac{17}{10} \]
Now that we have the constant \( k \), we can write the equation of the direct variation:
\[ y = \frac{17}{10}x \]
Thus, the equation of the direct variation that includes the point (-10, -17) is:
\[ y = \frac{17}{10}x \]