Money
Money
We use money to buy the things we need or want. Coins and banknotes have their value written on them. In this unit you use US dollars and cents to make and total amounts of money.
Coins and their value
Each coin has its value written on it. Here are the US coins and how many cents they are worth: Penny = 1 cent Nickel = 5 cents Dime = 10 cents Quarter dollar = 25 cents Half dollar = 50 cents A dollar is worth 100 cents. We write cents with a small c, like 5c.
Making an amount
You can put different coins together to make an amount. For example, there are many ways to make 20c: two dimes (10c + 10c), or four nickels (5c + 5c + 5c + 5c), or a dime and two nickels (10c + 5c + 5c). Sometimes one coin is worth the same as a row of smaller coins. Two nickels (5c + 5c) are worth the same as one dime (10c).
Banknotes and totals
There are US banknotes for $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100. To find a total, add the values together. A $5 note and a $2 note make $5 + $2 = $7. Adding coins and banknotes is just like adding numbers together — you add up all the values to find the total.
Worked examples
Find the value of a coin
- Look at the coin: it is a quarter dollar.
- Remember its value in cents: a quarter is 25 cents.
- You can write this as 25c.
Answer: A quarter dollar is worth 25c
Make 20c with coins
- Start with the biggest coin that fits: a dime is 10c.
- You still need another 10c, so add a second dime.
- 10c + 10c = 20c.
Answer: Two dimes make 20c
Total two banknotes
- The first banknote is a $5 note.
- The second banknote is a $2 note.
- Add the values: 5 + 2 = 7 dollars.
Answer: A $5 note and a $2 note make US$7
Where you see this in real life
- Paying for candy at a shop by choosing the right coins.
- Using banknotes to pay for a T-shirt.
- Counting the coins in your pocket to find how much money you have.
Key words
- Currency
- The money used in a country, such as US dollars and cents.
- Cent
- A small unit of money. A dollar is worth 100 cents. We write it as c, like 5c.
- Dollar
- A unit of money worth 100 cents. We write it as $, like $5.
- Coin
- A small round piece of money, such as a penny, nickel, dime, quarter or half dollar.
- Banknote
- A paper piece of money, such as a $1, $5 or $10 note.
- Value
- How much a coin, banknote or amount of money is worth.