A paper boy collected \$7.55, part in nickels and part in dimes. If the number of nickels was 6 more than one- half the number of dimes, how many nickels were there?
A) 58 nickels
B) 35 nickels
C) 45 nickels
D) 68 nickels

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Let the number of dimes be $d$ and the number of nickels be $n$. The value of the dimes is $0.10d$ dollars and the value of the nickels is $0.05n$ dollars. The total value is $0.10d + 0.05n = 7.55$. The problem states that the number of nickels is 6 more than half the number of dimes, so $n = \frac{1}{2}d + 6$. Substituting the expression for $n$ into the value equation gives $0.10d + 0.05(\frac{1}{2}d + 6) = 7.55$. Solving this equation for $d$ and then finding $n$ gives the correct number of nickels. Solving the equations, we find that there are 35 nickels.

A Paper Boy Collected \$7