Question

Jenna and Tony need quarters for bus fare. Jenna has 3 x as many as Tony.
Together they have $11.00 in quarters. How many coins does each have?

Answer 1

J=3T
J*.25+T*.25=11.00

(3T+T)*.25=11.00
solve for T first.

Answer 2

Always start with "Let" statements.

Let "J" represent the number of quarters Jenna has.

Let "T" represent the number of quarters Tony has.

Using these variables, phrase your question into algebraic equations.

Jenna has 3 x as many as Tony
J = 3T

Together they have $11.00 in quarters. That's 4 quarters in every dollar, so $11 is 44 quarters.

J + T = 44

Now using those two equations, you can substitute and solve.

I leave that to you :)