178k views
2 votes
John has a jar of between 500 and 600 coins that are all nickles, dimes, and quarters. The ratio of the number of quarters to the number of dimes is 8:5 and the ratio of the number of dimes to the number of nickles is 6:11. What is the total value of the money in John's jar of coins?

User Tkralik
by
7.9k points

1 Answer

5 votes

Answer:

To solve this problem, we can set up a system of equations using the information given. Let x be the number of quarters, y be the number of dimes, and z be the number of nickles.

From the problem, we know that:

x:y = 8:5 (the ratio of the number of quarters to the number of dimes)

y:z = 6:11 (the ratio of the number of dimes to the number of nickles)

x+y+z = between 500 and 600 (the total number of coins)

We can start by using the first ratio to find the value of y in terms of x:

x:y = 8:5

y = (5/8)x

We can use the second ratio to find the value of z in terms of y:

y:z = 6:11

z = (11/6)y

We can substitute the value of y into the expression for z to get an expression for z in terms of x:

z = (11/6)(5/8)x

Now we can use the equation x + y + z = between 500 and 600 to find the value of x:

x + (5/8)x + (11/6)(5/8)x = between 500 and 600

Combining like terms:

(63/40)x = between 500 and 600

x = between 800 and 1000

So, x represents the number of quarters, which is between 800 and 1000.

We know that the value of a quarter is $0.25. So the total value of the quarters is between $200 and $250.

Similarly, we know that the value of a dime is $0.1 and a nickel is $0.05.

so,

y = (5/8)x

z = (11/6)(5/8)x

y = (5/8)x * $0.1 = $0.125x

z = (11/6)(5/8)x * $0.05 = $0.04166x

So, the total value of the money in the jar is $200 <= $0.25x + $0.125x + $0.04166x <= $250

User Ilya Loskutov
by
7.8k points