Final answer:
Eric had $72 and spent 5/8 of his money on new shoes. Upon calculating, this means he spent $45 on the shoes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Eric has $72. He spends 5/8 of his money on a new pair of shoes. To calculate how much he spent on shoes, we can multiply 72 by 5/8.
Step 1: Convert the fraction to a decimal:
5/8 = 0.625.
Step 2: Multiply 72 by 0.625:
72 x 0.625 = $45.
Therefore, Eric spent $45 on the new pair of shoes.