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Money

Adding prices, subtracting a purchase total from a sufficient payment, and keeping dollars and cents aligned.

⏱ 5 min · 🎯 4 things to master

Money is written with two small places after the decimal point. Keep dollars under dollars and cents under cents, then use addition or subtraction for the total and the change.

Parents: show the three amounts first and ask your child to predict the total and change before revealing the cents working.

By the end you will be able to add and subtract money in decimal notation, find a total and calculate change from a sufficient payment.

Read dollars and cents

There are 100 cents in one dollar. The two digits after the decimal point are the cents, so $4.75 means 4 dollars and 75 cents. Write five cents as $0.05, with a zero holding the tenths place.

🤔 Predict first: Which amount shows three dollars and five cents?

Keep two cents places

$4.75=475 cents\$4.75=475\text{ cents}
$0.05=5 cents\$0.05=5\text{ cents}

Add prices for a total

Line up the decimal points before adding. For the two items in the lab, add $4.75 and $2.60. The cents become 735 cents, which is $7.35.

Money change lab

Predict first: Two items cost $4.75 and $2.60. If you pay $10.00, what are the total and change?

Add the two prices

4.75+2.607.35\begin{array}{r}4.75\\+2.60\\\hline7.35\end{array}
475 cents+260 cents=735 cents475\text{ cents}+260\text{ cents}=735\text{ cents}

The item total is $7.35. Keep the decimal point in the same column when you write the answer.

Subtract a total to find change

Change is what remains after the purchase total is taken from the payment. For a $10.00 payment and a $7.35 total, subtract $7.35 from $10.00. The result is $2.65.

Find the exact change

10.00−7.352.65\begin{array}{r}10.00\\-7.35\\\hline2.65\end{array}
1,000 cents−735 cents=265 cents1,000\text{ cents}-735\text{ cents}=265\text{ cents}

🤔 Predict first: A payment is $10.00 and the total is $7.35. What is the change?

Keep exact cents visible

Thinking in cents is a check on the decimal notation. $4.75 is 475 cents, $2.60 is 260 cents and $10.00 is 1,000 cents. The learner-facing answers remain $7.35 and $2.65, while the cents line proves that no place was lost.

One transaction, two matching forms

475+260=735 cents⇒$7.35475+260=735\text{ cents}\Rightarrow\$7.35
1,000−735=265 cents⇒$2.651,000-735=265\text{ cents}\Rightarrow\$2.65

Practise with worked steps

Practice 1. Add $4.75 and $2.60.

Show the aligned addition

Add in cents

475 cents+260 cents=735 cents475\text{ cents}+260\text{ cents}=735\text{ cents}
$4.75+$2.60=$7.35\$4.75+\$2.60=\$7.35

Practice 2. Find the change from $10.00 after a $7.35 purchase.

Show the aligned subtraction

Subtract the purchase total

1,000 cents−735 cents=265 cents1,000\text{ cents}-735\text{ cents}=265\text{ cents}
$10.00−$7.35=$2.65\$10.00-\$7.35=\$2.65

Practice 3. A drink costs $3.80 and a snack costs $1.25. You pay $10.00. Find the total and the change.

Show both parts of the transaction

Total, then change

380 cents+125 cents=505 cents⇒$5.05380\text{ cents}+125\text{ cents}=505\text{ cents}\Rightarrow\$5.05
1,000 cents−505 cents=495 cents⇒$4.951,000\text{ cents}-505\text{ cents}=495\text{ cents}\Rightarrow\$4.95

Watch out — easily mixed up

Follow the money path

Review P3 whole numbers when place-value zeroes are causing the error. For four-digit written addition and subtraction, continue to P3 addition and subtraction.

Quick recap

🎯 Mastery check

Answer all 6 — your progress is saved on this device.

  1. What is $2.35 + $1.40?

  2. What is $5.00 − $2.65?

  3. You pay $20.00 for an item costing $12.85. What change should you receive?

  4. What is $6.40 + $0.85?

  5. What is $7.35 − $2.60?

  6. Two items cost $1.90 and $2.15; payment is $5.00. Which total and change pair is correct?