Jen spends half his money on lunch and then spends $1.50 for a magazine. He uses one third of what he has left to pay for the bus ride home, then gives his little brother a quarter.If Jen has three nickles and two quarters left, how much money did he have before lunch?
To solve this problem, we can work backwards.
Given that Jen has three nickels and two quarters left, we can calculate the total value of the nickels and quarters.
The value of three nickels is 3 * $0.05 = $0.15
The value of two quarters is 2 * $0.25 = $0.50
So, the total value of the nickels and quarters is $0.15 + $0.50 = $0.65.
We know that Jen used one-third of what he had left to pay for the bus ride home. This means that $0.65 is equal to one-third of what he had left.
Let's represent his total money before giving his little brother a quarter as "x."
Then, (1/3) * x = $0.65.
To solve this equation, we can multiply both sides by 3:
x = $0.65 * 3 = $1.95.
So, Jen had $1.95 before giving his little brother a quarter.