Learning about American Bills

Bills are worth more than the coins you have learned about. There are many bills of different values. It is easy to see how much a bill is worth because the amount of the bill appears as a big number in each corner on both sides.

One-Dollar Bill

One dollar is the same as one hundred pennies or 100 cents. The symbol for a dollar is "$". You write one dollar as $1. Notice that you write the cent sign after the number, as in 1¢, and you write the dollar sign before the number, as in $1. Here is a picture of a one-dollar bill:

Notice that a big number 1 appears in each corner. Can you find the two places on this bill where the word "ONE" appears? Do you know whose picture appears on the bill? It's George Washington, the first president of the United States.

Many different combinations of coins add up to $1. For example, four quarters is the same as one dollar because 25¢ + 25¢ + 25¢ + 25¢ = $1.

Now we can tell you why a 25¢ coin is called a quarter. When you cut a pizza into four parts of the same size, each part is one-fourth, or a quarter, of the pizza. The four pieces together make a whole pizza. The same idea is true with a one-dollar bill; four quarters add up to a whole dollar.

Five-Dollar Bill

The next bill in value is a five-dollar bill, or $5. Here is a picture of a five-dollar bill:

Five one-dollar bills add up to a $5:

$1 + $1 + $1 + $1 + $1 = $5.

Look for the big number 5 in each corner. Also find the two places where the word "FIVE" appears. This bill has a different picture on it. It's Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States.

Ten-Dollar Bill

Next is a ten-dollar bill, or $10. Here is a picture of a ten-dollar bill:

Ten one-dollar bills or two five-dollar bills add up to $10:

$1 + $1 + $1 + $1 + $1 + $1 + $1 + $1 + $1 + $1 = $10

$5 + $5 = $10

$5 + $1 + $1 + $1 + $1 + $1 = $10

Can you find the six places that show the value of this bill? This bill has a picture of Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States.

Twenty-Dollar Bill

The next biggest bill is a twenty-dollar bill, or $20. Here is a picture of a twenty-dollar bill:

You can combine bills in many ways to add up to $20. Here are a few examples:

$10 + $10 = $20

$10 + $5 + $5 = $20

$5 + $5 + $5 + $5 = $20

$10 + $5 + $1 + $1 + $1 + $1 + $1 = $20

This bill shows Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States.

Fifty-Dollar Bill

The last bill in this lesson is a fifty-dollar bill, or $50. Here is a picture of a fifty-dollar bill:

Here are some of the ways to combine bills to make $50:

$20 + $20 + $10 = $50

$20 + $10 + $10 + $5 + $5 = $50

$10 + $10 + $10 + $5 + $5 + $5 + $5 = $50

$20 + $10 + $5 + $5 + $5 + $1 + $1 + $1 + $1 + $1 = $50

Can you think of some other combinations that add up to $50? This bill shows Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States.

There are bigger bills, such as $100 or $500, but they are not very common.

Examples of Using Bills

  1. You go to the store to buy a math book that costs $7. You can pay for it with a five-dollar bill and two one-dollar bills, because $5 + $1 + $1 = $7.
  2. You want to buy a sweater that costs $18. You can pay for it with a ten-dollar bill, a five-dollar bill, and three one-dollar bills, or $10 + $5 + $1 + $1 + $1 = $18.
  3. You want to buy a pair of shoes that cost $36. You pay for it with a twenty-dollar bill, a ten-dollar bill, a five-dollar bill, and one one-dollar bill, or $20 + $10 + $5 + $1 = $36.
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Learn about American Coins
Table of Contents
Learn How to Use Bills and Coins Together

 

Last updated: Monday, 25-Aug-2003 21:57:08 GMT

     


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