Counting change at the store
You hand over a dollar for a 70-cent snack and expect 30 cents back. Counting money and making change is everyday math you can hold — adding up coins and figuring what's owed in return.
Every coin has a value
A penny is 1 cent, a nickel is 5 cents, a dime is 10 cents, and a quarter is 25 cents. To count a handful of coins, start with the biggest values and add your way down.
1 quarter + 2 dimes + 1 nickel = 25 + 10 + 10 + 5 = 50 cents
Making change by counting up
If something costs 70 cents and you pay with a dollar, count up from 70 to 100: that is 30 cents change. Counting up is easier than subtracting.
Lab · Buy a snack
- Pretend a snack costs 65 cents and you pay with three quarters (75 cents).
- Count up from 65 to 75 to find the change you should get back.
- Name a set of coins that adds up to exactly that change.
- Try again with a snack that costs 40 cents paid with two quarters.
What you should see: You counted coins to a total and made change by counting up — the everyday math of shopping.