Ratio of pens to pencils is 3:8; What could be the total number of pens and pencils?

Can you explain how do you get the answer because I am studying for my test. Thank you very much for your help.

no way to get the total number. It will be a multiple of 11, because there will be 8 pencils for every 3 pens.

To find the total number of pens and pencils, you need to know the ratio between them. In this case, the ratio is given as 3:8.

To solve this problem, you can assign variables to represent the number of pens and pencils. Let's assume the number of pens is 3x and the number of pencils is 8x, where x is a constant.

Now, to find the total number of pens and pencils, you need to add the number of pens and the number of pencils. So, the total would be:

Total = number of pens + number of pencils

Total = 3x + 8x

Total = 11x

The total number of pens and pencils is represented by the expression 11x. The value of x is not given in the question, so we don't know the exact numerical value of the total.

However, we can say that the total number of pens and pencils will be 11 times some value, which depends on the value of x. Therefore, the total number can be any multiple of 11, such as 11, 22, 33, and so on.

In conclusion, the total number of pens and pencils could be any multiple of 11.