Question

In a box of pencils, there are 6 regular pencils and 3 mechanical pencils. Write the ratio of mechanical pencils to regular
pencils and describe the ratio. Express the ratio 3 to 6 in simplest form.


3 to 6

1 to 3

1 to 2

2 to 1

Answer 1

To write the ratio of mechanical pencils to regular pencils, we first identify the quantities:

- Mechanical pencils: 3
- Regular pencils: 6

The ratio is given by:

\[
\text{Ratio of mechanical pencils to regular pencils} = \frac{\text{Mechanical pencils}}{\text{Regular pencils}} = \frac{3}{6}
\]

To express this ratio in simplest form, we can divide both the numerator and the denominator by their greatest common divisor, which is 3:

\[
\frac{3 \div 3}{6 \div 3} = \frac{1}{2}
\]

Thus, the ratio of mechanical pencils to regular pencils in simplest form is **1 to 2**.

### Answer:

**The ratio of mechanical pencils to regular pencils is 1 to 2.**