1/3 cup is equivalent to how many tablespoons?

To understand why the answer is 5 1/3 tablespoons, it's helpful to know the conversion between cups and tablespoons. One cup is equivalent to 16 tablespoons. Therefore, to find out how many tablespoons are in 1/3 cup, you calculate it as follows:

1. Start with the total tablespoons in one cup: 16 tablespoons.

2. Divide that number by 3 since you're interested in 1/3 of a cup: 16 tablespoons ÷ 3 = 5.333... tablespoons.

3. This can also be expressed as 5 1/3 tablespoons.

Thus, the correct conversion shows that 1/3 cup equals 5 1/3 tablespoons. This understanding of conversions is crucial for accurate measurements in cooking and baking, which often require precise ingredient quantities for successful results.