Solved on Jan 25, 2024

Find the number of nickels and quarters that sum to $6.25 with a total of 37 coins.

STEP 1

Assumptions
1. The total amount of money is 6.25.<br/>2.Themoneyismadeupofonlynickelsandquarters.<br/>3.Thereare37coinsintotal.<br/>4.Let6.25.<br />2. The money is made up of only nickels and quarters.<br />3. There are 37 coins in total.<br />4. Let xrepresentthenumberofnickels.<br/>5.Let represent the number of nickels.<br />5. Let yrepresentthenumberofquarters.<br/>6.Thevalueofanickelis represent the number of quarters.<br />6. The value of a nickel is 0.05 and the value of a quarter is $0.25.

STEP 2

First, we will set up the equation that represents the total number of coins.
x+y=37x + y = 37
This equation states that the sum of the number of nickels (xx) and the number of quarters (yy) is equal to the total number of coins, which is 37.

STEP 3

Next, we will set up the equation that represents the total value of the coins in dollars.
0.05x+0.25y=6.250.05x + 0.25y = 6.25
This equation states that the value of the nickels (5 cents each) plus the value of the quarters (25 cents each) equals $6.25.

STEP 4

Now we have a system of two equations with two variables:
\begin{align*} x + y &= 37 \\ 0.05x + 0.25y &= 6.25 \end{align*}

STEP 5

We can express the system in matrix form as:
[110.050.25][xy]=[376.25]\begin{bmatrix} 1 & 1 \\ 0.05 & 0.25 \end{bmatrix} \begin{bmatrix} x \\ y \end{bmatrix} = \begin{bmatrix} 37 \\ 6.25 \end{bmatrix}

STEP 6

To solve the system, we can use either substitution or elimination. For this problem, let's use substitution. We will solve the first equation for xx:
x=37yx = 37 - y

STEP 7

Now we will substitute x=37yx = 37 - y into the second equation:
0.05(37y)+0.25y=6.250.05(37 - y) + 0.25y = 6.25

STEP 8

Distribute 0.050.05 to both terms inside the parentheses:
1.850.05y+0.25y=6.251.85 - 0.05y + 0.25y = 6.25

STEP 9

Combine like terms:
1.85+0.20y=6.251.85 + 0.20y = 6.25

STEP 10

Subtract 1.851.85 from both sides to isolate the term with yy:
0.20y=6.251.850.20y = 6.25 - 1.85

STEP 11

Calculate the right side of the equation:
0.20y=4.400.20y = 4.40

STEP 12

Divide both sides by 0.200.20 to solve for yy:
y=4.400.20y = \frac{4.40}{0.20}

STEP 13

Calculate the value of yy:
y=22y = 22

STEP 14

Now that we have the value of yy, we can substitute it back into the equation x=37yx = 37 - y to find the value of xx:
x=3722x = 37 - 22

STEP 15

Calculate the value of xx:
x=15x = 15
So, we have x=15x = 15 and y=22y = 22. This means there are 15 nickels and 22 quarters.
x:x: 15 nickels y:y: 22 quarters

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