zelda has a total of 21 nickels and quarters worth $4.25 how many of each coin does she have

Question

Zelda has a total of 21 nickels and quarters worth $4.25 how many of each coin does she have

Answer 1

Let x represent the number of nickels Zelda has and y represent the number of quarters she has.

We know that

(1) x+y=21 and

(2) (0.05)x+(0.25)y=4.25

Solving (1) for x gives x=21-y. Substituting this into (2) gives us

(0.05)(21-y)+(0.25)y=4.25

1.05-(0.05)y+(0.25y)=4.25

(0.20)y=3.20

So y=16

We see that x=5. So Zelda has 5 nickels and 16 quarters