IXL | Least number of coins

How do you make 20 cents using the fewest coins?

20¢

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question

How do you make 33 cents using the fewest coins?

33¢

solution

Start with quarters and count by 25¢. When you've gone past 33¢, you've gone too far. 1 quarter makes 25¢. 2 quarters make 50¢—too much. You can have 1 quarter. 1 quarter is worth 25¢.

Now count up by 10¢ from 25¢ to find out how many dimes you can have. 1 dime makes 35¢—too much. You can have 0 dimes. So far, you have 1 quarter and 0 dimes, which are worth 25¢.

Now count up by 5¢ from 25¢ to find out how many nickels you can have. 1 nickel makes 30¢. 2 nickels make 35¢—too much. You can have 1 nickel. So far, you have 1 quarter, 0 dimes, and 1 nickel, which are worth 30¢.

Finally, count up by 1¢ from 30¢ to find out how many pennies you can have. 1 penny makes 31¢. 2 pennies make 32¢. 3 pennies make 33¢. That's the total you want.

To make 33 cents with the fewest coins, you'll use 1 quarter, 0 dimes, 1 nickel, and 3 pennies.

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