Adding money and giving change
Find different combinations of coins that equal the same amount of money
What a learner can do afterwards
- Show that 50p can be made with 2×20p + 1×10p, or 5×10p, or 1×50p
- Systematically find multiple coin combinations for a given total
- Explain why different coin sets give the same total
The lesson
You already know how to write money using pounds and pence. There is often more than one way to make the same amount using coins. Adding different coins together can still give you the same total.
To make 50p, you could use 2×20p and 1×10p, or 5×10p, or just 1×50p. Every one of these adds up to the same 50p.
To find every way to make an amount, start with the biggest coin that fits, then try swapping it for smaller coins. Write down each way you find, then look for another.
The same amount of money can be made in more than one way using different coins.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.