Question

The standard form of the equation that represents the number of quarters, q, and the number of dimes, d, that Austin has in his piggy bank is 5q + 2d = 270. Explain what the intercepts mean in terms of the context and how to find them.

Answer 1

Sample response: To find one intercept, let d = 0 in the equation and solve for q. To find the other intercept, let q = 0 in the equation and solve for d. The intercepts mean that the bank could be filled with 54 quarters and no dimes, or 135 dimes and no quarters.

Explanation:

Answer 2

The standard form of the equation that represents the number of quarters, q, and the number of dimes, d, that Austin has in his piggy bank is 5q + 2d = 270. This can be change to slope intercept form to see the clearer picture. By dividing the whole equation by 2, so the equation become d= -2.5q + 135.

This means that Austin has initially 135 dimes in his piggy bank and he is losing 2.5 dimes per quater