Question

In a drawer of mixed knives and forks, the ratio of the number of knives to the number of forks is Determine the number of knives that are in the drawer if there are forks. Justify your answer by showing that the new ratio you created of the number of knives to the number of forks is equivalent to.

Answer 1

To find the number of knives in a drawer based on a given ratio of knives to forks and the number of forks, set up a proportion based on the ratio and solve for the unknown number of knives.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question is missing the specific ratio of knives to forks, however the concept to determine the number of knives can be explained by understanding how ratios work. Using ratios, we can set up a proportion to compare the known ratio to the actual quantities of knives and forks. For example, if the ratio of knives to forks is given as 3:5 and we know there are 10 forks, we can set up the proportion 3/5 = x/10, where x represents the number of knives.

To solve for x, we cross-multiply to get 5x = 30, and then divide both sides by 5 to find x, which represents the number of knives. In this case, x would be 6. This means that if there are 10 forks and the ratio of knives to forks is 3:5, there must be 6 knives in the drawer.