The ratio of nails to screws to bolts in a toolbox is 5:3:2. There are 15 screws in the toolbox. Complete the sentences below.

Question

There are ____________ nails in the toolbox.
The toolbox contains a total of __________ nails, screws and bolts.
explain in words

Answer 1

To determine the number of nails and the total number of items in the toolbox, we start with the given ratio of nails to screws to bolts, which is 5:3:2.

1. Understanding the ratio:

   • The ratio signifies that for every 5 parts of nails, there are 3 parts of screws and 2 parts of bolts.

2. Identifying the total parts:

   • We can add the parts of the ratio together:
     • 5 (nails) + 3 (screws) + 2 (bolts) = 10 parts total.

3. Finding the value of each part:

   • Since we know there are 15 screws, and screws correspond to 3 parts in the ratio, we can find the value of one part.
   • To find this, we divide the number of screws by the number of parts corresponding to screws:
     • 15 screws ÷ 3 parts = 5 screws per part.

4. Finding the number of nails:

   • Now, since nails are represented by 5 parts in the ratio, we can multiply the number of parts for nails by the value of each part:
     • 5 parts (nails) × 5 screws per part = 25 nails.

5. Finding the number of bolts:

   • We can also find the number of bolts in a similar manner. Bolts correspond to 2 parts in the ratio:
     • 2 parts (bolts) × 5 screws per part = 10 bolts.

6. Calculating the total number of items:

   • Finally, we can calculate the total number of items in the toolbox by adding the number of nails, screws, and bolts:
     • Nails (25) + Screws (15) + Bolts (10) = 50 total items.

So, to fill in the blanks:

• There are 25 nails in the toolbox.
• The toolbox contains a total of 50 nails, screws, and bolts.