Question

I found 30 coins. 1/6 of them were pennies, 1/5 of them were nickels, 1/3 of them were dimes and the rest were quarters. How many of each coin did I find? How much are the coins worth altogether? Please help me explain this to my 2nd grade grandson.

Answer 1

Multiply the fractions to the total amount.

1/6 * 30/1 = 30/6 = 5
1/5 * 30/1 = 30/5 = 6
1/3 * 30/1 = 30/3 = 10

Add them up:

5 + 6 + 10 = 21

It says the rest were quarters, so subtract this from the total amount.

30 - 21 = 9

So you have:

5 pennies
6 nickels
10 dimes
9 quarters

1 penny = 1 cent
1 nickel = 5 cents
1 dime = 10 cents
1 quarter = 25 cents

5 * 1 = 0.05
6 * 5 = 0.30
10 * 10 = 1.00
9 * 25 = 2.25

Add all of these up:

0.05 + 0.30 + 1.00 + 2.25 = $3.60