Question 394523
the definite easiest way to solve this is to use matrices
so first, you need 3 equations to get the ball rolling for a 3 variable equation
"Bernard has 41 coins" tells us that
{{{N + D + Q = 41}}}
"they are worth a total of $4.00" tells us that
{{{.05N + .10D + .25Q = 4.00}}}
"the number of quarters is one more than te number of nickels" tells us
{{{D + Q = 1 + N}}}
just get all variables on one side, and line them up and you get
{{{-N + D + Q = 1}}}
Now that you have your 3 equations, make your matrix

[1.00   1.00  1.00] [N]    
|.50   .100  0.25| |D|    
[-1.0   1.00  1.00] [Q]   

would be equal to

[41]
| 4|
[ 1|
 


now that you set that up, just take the inverse of the first matrix, and multiply it by the last one, as you would solve a regular equation 

[A]^-1 [B]


your solution should be

20 nickels
15 dimes
6 quarters