Why do we take reciprocals? Yes, why do we take reciprocals? It's a mystery, isn't it? Heh heh heh... Don't look at me! Math isn't really my thing. Don't worry. We'll solve the mystery together. First, focus on V max . In the following graph, you can see that as the substrate concentration values get larger, the reaction rate measurements approach V max . rate (pmol/hour) 45 40 35 30 25 20