The ratio of pencils to erasers is $$ 5: 1 $$. If there are 20 pencils, how many erasers are there?

Question

UpStudy AI · Accepted Answer

To determine the number of erasers when you have 20 pencils with a pencils-to-erasers ratio of $$5:1$$, you can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Ratio
The ratio $$5:1$$ means that for every **5 pencils**, there is **1 eraser**.

### Step 2: Set Up the Proportion
Let’s denote:
- Number of pencils = 5 parts
- Number of erasers = 1 part

Given that you have **20 pencils**, you can set up the proportion as follows:

$$
\frac{5 \text{ pencils}}{1 \text{ eraser}} = \frac{20 \text{ pencils}}{x \text{ erasers}}
$$

### Step 3: Solve for $$x$$ (Number of Erasers)
Cross-multiply to solve for $$x$$:

$$
5x = 20 \times 1
$$

$$
5x = 20
$$

$$
x = \frac{20}{5}
$$

$$
x = 4
$$

### Step 4: Conclusion
You have **4 erasers** when you have 20 pencils given the ratio of $$5:1$$.

---

**Answer:** There are **4 erasers**.
There are 4 erasers.

The ratio of pencils to erasers is \( 5: 1 \). If there are 20 pencils, how many erasers are there?