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| Question 918257:  A collection of dimes and nickels is worth $9.50. There are 132 coins in all.
 
 How many of each coin are there?
 
 dimes
 nickels
 
 
 Answer by AlgebraLady88(44)
      (Show Source): 
You can put this solution on YOUR website! We are told that a collection of dimes(x) and nickels(y) equals 132 coins in all. The algebraic equation for that would be
 x + y = 132   (1)
 We are also told that all the coins add up to $9.50. The algebraic equation for that would be
 0.10 x + 0.05 y = 9.50   (2)
 Now we will multiply the above equation by 100 to get rid of the decimals, giving us :
 10 x + 5 y = 950   (3)
 Now we will multiply equation (1) by 5 , giving us
 5 x + 5 y = 660   (4)
 Now, we subtract :   (3) - (4)
 5x =  290
 x = 58
 This will give us y = 74.
 To check , 58 ( 0.10) +  74 ( 0.05) = 9.50
 
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