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U.S. coins review

Review the value of U.S. coins, and try some practice problems.

U.S. Coins

The most commonly used coins in U.S. money are start color #11accd, start text, q, u, a, r, t, e, r, s, end text, end color #11accd, start color #1fab54, start text, d, i, m, e, s, end text, end color #1fab54, start color #7854ab, start text, n, i, c, k, e, l, s, end text, end color #7854ab, and start color #ca337c, start text, p, e, n, n, i, e, s, end text, end color #ca337c.

Quarters

start color #11accd, start text, Q, u, a, r, t, e, r, s, end text, end color #11accd are worth start color #11accd, 25, end color #11accd cents. Below is an image of the front and back of a quarter.

Dimes

start color #1fab54, start text, D, i, m, e, s, end text, end color #1fab54 are worth start color #1fab54, 10, end color #1fab54 cents. Below is an image of the front and back of a dime.

Nickels

start color #7854ab, start text, N, i, c, k, e, l, s, end text, end color #7854ab are worth start color #7854ab, 5, end color #7854ab cents. Below is an image of the front and back of a nickel.

Pennies

start color #ca337c, start text, P, e, n, n, i, e, s, end text, end color #ca337c are worth start color #ca337c, 1, end color #ca337c cent. Below is an image of the front and back of a penny.
Want to learn more about U.S. coins? Check out this video.

Counting coins

Let's look at an example:
What is the total value of the coins below?
One quarter is start color #11accd, 25, end color #11accd cents.
start color #11accd, 25, end color #11accd cents
A dime is start color #1fab54, 10, end color #1fab54 cents, and there are 2 dimes. Skip count by start color #1fab54, 10, end color #1fab54's two times from start color #11accd, 25, end color #11accd cents:
start color #11accd, 25, end color #11accd, comma, start color #1fab54, 35, end color #1fab54, comma, start color #1fab54, 45, end color #1fab54 cents
A nickel is start color #7854ab, 5, end color #7854ab cents, and there are 2 nickels. Skip count by start color #7854ab, 5, end color #7854ab's two times from start color #1fab54, 45, end color #1fab54 cents:
start color #1fab54, 45, end color #1fab54, comma, start color #7854ab, 50, end color #7854ab, comma, start color #7854ab, 55, end color #7854ab cents
A penny is start color #ca337c, 1, end color #ca337c cent, and there are 4 pennies. Count by start color #ca337c, 1, end color #ca337c's four times from start color #7854ab, 55, end color #7854ab cents
start color #7854ab, 55, end color #7854ab, comma, start color #ca337c, 56, end color #ca337c, comma, start color #ca337c, 57, end color #ca337c, comma, start color #ca337c, 58, end color #ca337c, comma, start color #ca337c, 59, end color #ca337c
The total value of the coins is 59 cents.

Practice

Problem 1
  • Current
What is the total value of the coins below?
  • Your answer should be
  • an integer, like 6
  • an exact decimal, like 0, point, 75
  • a simplified proper fraction, like 3, slash, 5
  • a simplified improper fraction, like 7, slash, 4
  • a mixed number, like 1, space, 3, slash, 4
cents

Want to try more problems like this? Check out this exercise.

Want to join the conversation?

  • duskpin ultimate style avatar for user Aulia Aliyev
    Why did they decide to call a cent a penny?
    (10 votes)
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    • piceratops tree style avatar for user Danny
      The British pound was not divided into 100 cents like our dollar, but its smallest part was called a penny, and that's why we call our cent a “penny” today. But for more than one, the British called them “pence” while ours are called “pennies.”
      According to usmint.gov
      (20 votes)
  • blobby green style avatar for user schrelia000
    are they actually going to make a 20 dollar bill?
    (5 votes)
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    • piceratops ultimate style avatar for user Hecretary Bird
      The 20 dollar bill has been around basically since the existence of the US currency system. Every bill minted since 1861 can still be redeemed. The 20 dollar bill has had Andrew Jackson's face since 1928, before which it had Grover Cleveland's face on it. Some people have asked for a redesign of the bill in recent times, with a woman's portrait, but none of these bills have actually been circulated.
      (5 votes)
  • old spice man green style avatar for user Dexter
    why is it called a dime?
    (5 votes)
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    • piceratops ultimate style avatar for user Hecretary Bird
      The original dimes, minted in the late 1700's, were called dismes (still pronounced like dime, or deem). Disme is an archaic term in French, or another romance language (my memory isn't what it once was) that means 10. Since a dime is 10 cents, the name makes sense, and the dime isn't named after anything but its value. Hope this helped!
      (6 votes)
  • blobby green style avatar for user Jannatin Naim
    Rip to all non-US people taking this. :")
    (6 votes)
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  • blobby green style avatar for user 1104347
    what if there was $50.00
    (3 votes)
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    • starky tree style avatar for user Austin
      Realistically, if you needed 50 dollars, you would just use a 50 dollar paper bill, or 5 ten dollar bills or 2 20 dollar bills and one 10. It would be very annoying to get 200 quarters or 50,000 pennies to pay 50 dollars.

      Note: there are other combinations with paper money you can use, those aren't the only ones.
      (3 votes)
  • aqualine seed style avatar for user Adel
    when did they think of words who were the first people
    (4 votes)
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  • duskpin ultimate style avatar for user SammieS
    why am i so dum
    (3 votes)
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    • leaf green style avatar for user Linda He
      Hi SammieS,

      Don't worry - nobody's born smart.

      "
      Nobody's born smart. We all start at zero. Can't walk, can't talk, certainly can't do algebra. Adding, reading, writing, riding a bike. Nobody's good at anything at first.
      There was a time when Einstein couldn't count to 10.
      And Shakespeare had to learn his ABCs just like the rest of us.
      Thankfully, we were born to learn.
      Slowly. Surely. You stumble, slip, crawl, fall and fail and fall.
      Frustrating. Confusing. Trying. Struggling.
      Until one day, you walk.
      One foot in front of the other. One idea on top of the next.
      Each wrong answer making your brain a little bit stronger.
      Failing is just another word for growing. And you keep going.
      This. is. learning.
      You just don’t get it, yet. Because the most beautiful, complex concepts in the whole universe
      are built on basic ideas that anyone, anywhere can understand.
      Whoever you are, wherever you are.
      You only have to know one thing:
      You can learn anything.

      " - Khan Academy

      So keep going, and you'll get the hang of it soon!


      Keep learning,
      Linda
      (3 votes)
  • duskpin ultimate style avatar for user BOBA_ENTHUSIAST (Bea)
    This section is very annoying and hard for me because I live Australia and have never seen this kind of money before. Please can you put a setting on this website where you can only do tests with money from your country.
    (3 votes)
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  • aqualine ultimate style avatar for user Sarvesh.V
    Why can't they make it more simple to understand?
    (3 votes)
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  • aqualine ultimate style avatar for user mosa akter
    The dime is smallest then a penny and nickel but it is greater them penny and a nickel
    (2 votes)
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    • piceratops ultimate style avatar for user Hecretary Bird
      In 1792, when the US coin system first came to be, the coins were proportional to their value. All of them were made of precious materials, to reassure people that the abstract form of currency was still rooted in actual value. Over time, the penny and nickel were chosen to be made out of copper and nickel, respectively. Since these are cheaper than silver, the coins' size was increased to maintain that it took 1 cent to make a penny and 5 cents to make a nickel. The dime was made of silver until 1965, so it was smaller by comparison. When the dime got changed most recently, the size wasn't changed so that people wouldn't have to react to a change.
      (2 votes)