9514 1404 393
Answer:
Step-by-step explanation:
When working mixture problems, it can be convenient to write a single equation using the variable to represent the highest-value contributor to the total value.
Here, we can let q represent the number of quarters. Then the number of dimes is 27-q.
The total value (in cents) is ...
25q +10(27 -q) = 555
15q +270 = 555 . . . . . . . collect terms
15q = 285 . . . . . . . . . subtract 270
q = 19 . . . . . . . . divide by 15
27 -19 = 8 . . . . . the number of dimes
There are 19 quarters and 8 dimes.
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<em>Check</em>
19 quarters have a value of 19×$0.25 = $4.75
8 dimes have a value of 8×$0.10 = $0.80
Then the total value of the 27 coins is $4.75 +0.80 = $5.55
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<em>Additional comment</em>
This is equivalent to working the problem by substitution where you write two equations ...
Then solve for d and substitute, leaving the variable q.
d = 27 -q
10(27-q) +25q = 555 . . . . the equation we wrote above
Of course, this pair of equations can be solved any convenient way, including elimination, matrix methods, and graphing.
You will find that if you eliminate the 'q' variable, you may end up dealing with negative coefficients in the equation. That is why I prefer to keep 'q' and eliminate 'd'.