Question

Shannon used equal numbers of quarters and nickels to buy a new notebook that cost $1.50. How many of each coin did she use?

Answer 1

Instead of creating and filling out a tedious chart, we can use the power of equations!

25x + 5x = 150
The x variable in this equation stands for the no. of coins. I used x for both of the coins since it is given that there are equal amounts of each coin. The coefficient of the x variable is the worth of the coin. To solve for x, the amount of coins, combine your x terms and divide both sides by 30.

25x + 5x = 150
30x = 150
x = 5

Final Answer: Shannon used 5 quarters and nickels to buy a new notebook that cost $1.50.

Answer 2

5 quarters is $1.25, 5 nickels is $.25
1.25+.25 is 1.5