Contributor: Erika Wargo. Lesson ID: 12643
Pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters. They are different sizes, and they are different fractions of a dollar. You will learn about fractions and finance with money games and an interactive fraction quiz!
Jenny has two quarters and Paul has five dimes. Who has more coins? Who has more money?
When writing amounts of money, two forms can be used: cents and dollars.
Discuss with a parent or teacher the name and value of each coin below:
Now that you have discussed the name and value of each coin, let’s look at what “fraction of a dollar” each coin is. Think about how many parts equal a whole. In this case, the parts are the coins and the whole is the dollar:
Name of Coin | Coin | Value | "Fraction of a Dollar" |
penny | ![]() |
$0.01 | 1/100 |
nickel | ![]() |
$0.05 | 5/100 |
dime | ![]() |
$0.10 | 10/100 |
quarter | ![]() |
$0.25 | 25/100 |
Discuss with a parent or teacher:
Now use the table above to work through the examples below:
Example
A penny is what fraction of a dollar?
Since 100 pennies equals one dollar, then one penny is 1/100 of a dollar.
Example
A dime is what fraction of a dollar?
Since ten dimes equals one dollar, then one dime is 1/10 of a dollar.
Example
Three quarters are what fraction of a dollar?
Four quarters equal a dollar, so each quarter is ¼ of a dollar. Three quarters would be ¼ + ¼ + ¼ , or ¾ of a dollar.
Watch this short explanation on Fractions of a Dollar (Quarters):
Discuss with a parent or teacher how many quarters would make a dollar.
Now, you will move on to the Got It? section to complete interactive practice with fractions of a dollar.
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