To find the width of each pair of sneakers, we can start by determining the total width occupied by the 8 pairs of sneakers in the closet.
Given that the closet is 60 inches wide and there are 8 pairs of sneakers arranged side-by-side, we can calculate the width of each pair by dividing the total width by the number of pairs:
\[ \text{Width of each pair} = \frac{\text{Total width of the closet}}{\text{Number of pairs}} = \frac{60 \text{ inches}}{8} \]
Now, we can simplify this fraction:
\[ \frac{60}{8} = \frac{60 \div 4}{8 \div 4} = \frac{15}{2} \]
This means that the width of each pair of sneakers is:
\[ \frac{15}{2} \text{ inches} \]
To express this as a mixed number, we can divide 15 by 2, which gives us 7 with a remainder of 1:
\[ \frac{15}{2} = 7 \frac{1}{2} \]
Thus, the width of each pair of sneakers is:
\[ \frac{15}{2} \text{ inches} \quad \text{or} \quad 7 \frac{1}{2} \text{ inches} \]