Coins and dollars have special values — let's count and make change!
Money uses a special place value system. We count coins from the largest value to the smallest, and combine them to find a total. Knowing coin values by heart makes shopping and making change much easier!
US coin values:
5 pennies = 1 nickel. 2 nickels = 1 dime. 2 dimes + 1 nickel = 1 quarter!
1 quarter + 2 dimes + 1 nickel + 3 pennies = 25¢ + 20¢ + 5¢ + 3¢ = 53¢ Count from largest to smallest: 25 → 35 → 45 → 50 → 51 → 52 → 53¢!
A sticker costs 37¢. You pay with 2 quarters (50¢). Change = 50¢ − 37¢ = 13¢ → Get back 1 dime + 3 pennies = 13¢
How to count coins:
You have 1 quarter, 1 dime, and 2 pennies. How many cents do you have?
Remember This!
Count on from the biggest coin! Say "25" for the quarter, then "35" for the dime, then "36, 37" for the pennies. Counting on is faster than adding from scratch!