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Darion has at least one quarter, one dime, one nickel, and one penny in his pocket. He has three times as many pennies as nickels, three times as many nickels as dimes, and three times as many dimes as quarters. If he has 120 coins, how much money does he have?
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Answer. Darion has 3 quarters, 9 dimes, 27 nickels and 81 pennies.
In total, Darion has $3.81.
Solution
If the number of quarters is x, then
the number of dimes is 3x,
the number of nickels is 9x,
the number of pennies is 27x.
The governing equation is (1+3+9+27)x = 120, or 40x = 120, x = = 3.
The answer follows immediately.