Question

Sam has twice as many dimes as quarters and two less nickels than dimes. If Sam has a total of $5.40, how many of each coin does he have?

Answer 1

• 10 quarters
• 20 dimes
• 18 nickels

Explanation:

If we add 2 nickels to Sam's coin collection, we can group the coins into groups that contain 1 quarter, 2 dimes, and 2 nickels. Each group is worth $0.55, and all of the coins together will be worth $5.50.

That is, there are $5.50/$0.55 = 10 groups of coins.

Sam has 10 quarters, 20 dimes, and two fewer nickels than 20, so 18 nickels.