Final answer:
Eliot and his sister will indeed get the same amount when counting the coins, regardless of the order in which the coins are counted, due to the commutative property of addition.
Step-by-step explanation:
Whether Eliot counts the coins starting with the quarters, or his sister counts the same coins starting with the pennies, they will get the same amount because the total value of the coins does not depend on the order in which they are counted. Think of it as a puzzle where you are just rearranging the pieces; the picture doesn't change. You need more of the smaller unit, pennies, to equal a larger unit, quarters, but this doesn't affect the total sum.
To further illustrate, imagine you have 2 quarters, 3 dimes, and 4 pennies. Regardless of whether you start counting with the quarters or the pennies, the total amount will be 50 cents (from the quarters) + 30 cents (from the dimes) + 4 cents (from the pennies), which equals 84 cents. This mathematical principle is akin to the commutative property of addition, where numbers can be added in any order, and the sum will be the same.