Question

Luke has 15 coins. He has only nickels and dimes. If the total value of the coins is $1.20, how many nickels does he have?

Write and solve using a system of equations.

Answer 1

He has 6 nickels and 9 dimes.

You can use the equations and suppose x = nickels and y = dimes:
x + y =15
0.05x + 0.1y = 1.20

You can check if it is correct by substituting x for 6 and y for 9 in both.
(6) + (9) = 15
6+ 9 = 15
15 = 15

0.05(6) + 0.1(9) = 1.20
0.3 + 0.9 = 1.20
1.20 = 1.20
                               
Therefore, he has 6 nickels.