Question

Zach has $11.85 in his piggy bank with nickels and quarters. The number of quarters is equal to one less than twice the number of nickels. How many of each kind of coin does he have?

Answer 1

Zach has 22 nickels and 43 quarters.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let's represent the number of nickels as 'x'.

According to the problem, the number of quarters is equal to one less than twice the number of nickels. So, the number of quarters can be represented as '2x-1'.

Now, let's find the total value in dollars. The value of each nickel is $0.05 and the value of each quarter is $0.25. Therefore, the total value in dollars can be represented as: 0.05x + 0.25(2x-1) = 11.85.

Simplifying the equation, we get: 0.05x + 0.5x - 0.25 = 11.85.

Combining like terms, we get: 0.55x - 0.25 = 11.85.

Adding 0.25 to both sides, we get: 0.55x = 12.1.

Dividing by 0.55 on both sides, we get: x = 22.

Therefore, Zach has 22 nickels and (2*22 - 1) = 43 quarters.