Question

Nicole has 17 nickels n and dimes d. If the value of her coins is $1.30, how many of each coin does she have?

Answer 1

8 nickels and 9 dimes

Explanation:

If all were dimes, the value would be $1.70. It is $0.40 less than that. Changing a dime for a nickel reduces the value by $0.05, so there must have been $0.40/$0.05 = 8 such changes.

There are 8 nickels and 9 dimes.

_____

Check

8 · 0.05 + 9 · 0.10 = 0.40 + 0.90 = 1.30 . . . the answer checks OK