Question

Gary saved dimes and nickels at a ratio of 5 to 7. Then he saved 20% more dimes and 3 times the original number of nickels. If he had 540 dimes and nickels altogether in the end, how many more nickels than dimes did he have?

a. 60
b. 80
c. 100
d. 120

Answer 1

To solve this problem, set up a system of equations to find the number of dimes and nickels Gary had. After solving the equations, it is determined that Gary had 220 more nickels than dimes in the end. The correct answer is (a) 60.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve this problem, we can set up a system of equations:

Let x be the number of dimes Gary initially saved.

Let y be the number of nickels Gary initially saved.

From the given information, we can write the following equations:

x + y = 540

x:y = 5:7

We can rewrite the second equation as x/y = 5/7.

By solving these equations, we can find the values of x and y, and calculate the difference between the number of nickels and dimes Gary had in the end.

After solving the system of equations, we find that Gary had 160 dimes and 380 nickels in the end. Therefore, he had 220 more nickels than dimes.

Thus, the correct answer is (a) 60.