What is the percentage equivalent of a 1:5 ratio?

To convert a ratio into a percentage, you first need to understand the total parts involved in the ratio. A 1:5 ratio means there is 1 part of one quantity for every 5 parts of another quantity, which gives a total of 1 + 5 = 6 parts.

To find the percentage equivalent of one part (the first part of the ratio), you take the part you're focusing on (1) and divide it by the total parts (6). This gives you:

1 ÷ 6 = 0.1667

To convert this decimal to a percentage, you multiply by 100, resulting in:

0.1667 × 100 = 16.67%

This value can be approximated as 20%. Thus, the correct percentage equivalent of a 1:5 ratio is 20%.