Final answer:
By setting up an equation with x as the number of bats and 5x as the number of baseballs, we find that x, the number of bats, is 9. Therefore, the coach has 5 times 9, which equals 45 baseballs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is dealing with a classic algebra problem.
To find out how many baseballs the coach has, we can set up an equation.
Let x represent the number of bats. According to the problem, the coach has 5 times as many baseballs as bats, so he has 5x baseballs. The total number of baseballs and bats is given as 54, which leads to the equation:
x + 5x = 54
Solving for x gives us:
6x = 54
x = 9
Now that we know the coach has 9 bats, to find the number of baseballs, we multiply by 5:
5 × 9 = 45
So, the coach has 45 baseballs.