Cents in Math – Definition With Examples

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What Are Cents?

A cent is the most basic unit of money used across many countries. The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States, where 100 cents make 1 dollar.

In the US, Canada, and Australia, a cent equals one-hundredth of a dollar. In Europe, 100 cents make 1 euro. It is also called “euro cent” to differentiate it from the US cent.

1 USD = 100 cents

In the US, one dollar comes in both coin and note forms. Cents are primarily represented by coins. There are coins for 1 cent (penny), 5 cents (nickel), 10 cents (dime), 25 cents (quarter), etc.

Cents are used for expressing smaller denominations of currency and are often used in transactions involving coins or fractional monetary values.

Definition of Cents

A cent is the smallest denomination of money. Also known by the name the penny, a cent is in circulation across many countries, including the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Cent is a currency that can be used to obtain several items for exchange purposes.

Cent Symbol

Cent symbol or cent sign: ¢

How to use the cents symbol? It may be interesting to know that whereas we write the symbol of a dollar before the amount, the cents symbol is written after the numerical value. The Cent symbol follows the amount with no space between.

Here is an image to show you what the cents sign looks like. 

Example 1: $\$1$ = 100¢

Example 2: How to write 75 cents 

Let us take a look at cent examples to understand how we can express cents.

If we want to denote 75 cents in terms of dollars, then we can write it as $\$0.75$. Or, we can state it as 75¢.

Cents sign

What Is 1 Cent?

1 US cent coin is called a penny. Each cent represents one hundredth of a dollar, making it a fraction of the base unit. 

Here’s an image of a cent coin. It features the image of Abraham Lincoln on it.

Penny coin (1 cent)

How Much is a Cent?

5 cents = 1 nickel

10 cents = 1 dime

25 cents = a quarter dollar

50 cents = Half dollar

100 cents = 1 US dollar

How Many Cents in $\$1$?

There are 100 cents in $\$1$.

This subdivision allows for more precise and flexible transactions and calculations when dealing with smaller denominations of currency.

One USD coin and Note

Facts about Cents

  • The word ‘cent’ comes from Latin centum which means ‘hundred.’
  • Cents are coins used to represent smaller values in the currency system.
  • In the United States, cents include coins like the penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.
  • Cents are equal to one hundredth of a dollar.
  • Cents are commonly used for buying small items like candies or stamps.
  • Cents are made from different materials, like copper, nickel, and zinc, depending on the coin.

Conclusion

In this article, we learnt about cents, its definition, symbol, its value, and relation with different coins. Let’s solve a few examples based on the concept for better clarity and comprehension.

Solved Examples on Cents

1. If Andy bought 3 items which cost 50 cents each and paid for them with a $\$5$ bill, how much change would he receive?

Solution: 

Each item costs 50 cents.

Cost of 3 items $= 3 \times 50 = 150$ cents

100 cents make 1 dollar.

Thus, 150 cents $= \$1.5$

Andy paid $\$5$. 

The change that he will receive $= \$5\; -\; \$1.5 = \$3.5$

2. Convert $\$2.5$ into cents.

Solution: 

We know that $1 = 100 cents.

Thus, $\$2.5 = (100 \times 2.5)$ cents = 250 cents

3. If we have a nickel, a dime, a quarter, and a dollar with us, how many cents in total do we have?

Solution:

We know that 1 nickel = 5 cents

1 dime = 10 cents

1 quarter = 25 cents

1 dollar = 100 cents

Total = 5 + 10 + 25 + 100 = 140 cents.

In total, we have 140 cents.

4. If you spend 8 dimes to buy a roller skate and 60 cents to buy a video game, what is the total cost?

Solution:

You will be spending $\$1.4$.

We know that 1 dime = 10 cents

8 dimes $= 10 \times 8 = 80$ cents.

Total cost = 80 cents + 60 cents = 140 cents

Now, 140 cents $= \$\frac{140}{100} = \$1.4$

5. Which is greater: 2 quarters or 3 dimes?

Solution: 

We know that 1 quarter = 25 cents.

2 quarters $= 25 \times 2$ cents = 50 cents

Also, 1 dime = 5 cents

3 dimes $= 10 \times 3$ cents = 30 cents

Thus, 2 quarters > 3 dimes

Practice Problems on Cents

Cents in Math - Definition With Examples

Attend this quiz & Test your knowledge.

1

60 cents = $\$$___

$\$0.60$
$\$0.80$
$\$0.20$
$\$0.40$
CorrectIncorrect
Correct answer is: $\$0.60$
100 cents $= \$1$
60 cents $= \frac{60}{100} = \$0.6 = \$0.60$
2

How many cents are there in $\$3.5$?

3500 cents
350 cents
0.35 cents
35 cents
CorrectIncorrect
Correct answer is: 350 cents
We know that $\$1 = 100$ cents.
$\$3.5 = 100 \times 3.5 = 350$ cents
3

How many dollars do we have in hand if we have 2 nickels, 2 dimes, 2 quarters, and 2 dollars with us?

$\$3.5$
$\$2.8$
$\$3.6$
$\$2.6$
CorrectIncorrect
Correct answer is: $\$2.8$
1 nickel $= 5$ cents
1 dime $= 10$ cents
1 quarter $= 25$ cents
1 dollar $= 100$ cents
Total cents $= (5 \times 2) + (10 \times 2) + (25 \times 2) + (100 \times 2) = 280$ cents.
Also, 1 dollar $= 100$ cents.
Thus, 280 cents $= \$2.8$
4

If you have 5 quarters and 9 dimes, and spend 2 quarters and 3 dimes to buy something, how many cents do you have left?

100 cents
200 cents
150 cents
135 cents
CorrectIncorrect
Correct answer is: 135 cents
We know that 1 quarter $= 25$ cents and 1 dime $= 10$ cents.
Total money at hand:
$(25 \times 5) + (9 \times 10) = 125 + 90 = 215$ cents
Amount spent:
$(2 \times 25) + (3 \times 10) = 50 + 30 = 80$ cents.
Thus, money left with us $= 215$ cents $– 80$ cents $= 135$ cents.

Frequently Asked Questions on Cents

The best way to pay the exact amount of $\$0.51$ is to pay 2 quarters and 1 cent because 1 quarter = 25 cents.

Since 100 cents make a dollar, we can define 2 cents as $\$0.02$.

A penny or a cent is the one-hundredth fraction of a dollar and can be expressed as the one hundredth portion of a dollar.

Although not widely used today, a mil is a currency smaller than a cent. A mil is equal to one-tenth of a penny. Thus, 1 mil = 1 / 10 cent.

Yes, there is a half dollar coin in the United States currency system, which is worth 50 cents. It is called the ‘Kennedy half dollar” as a tribute to President John F. Kennedy. It is not as commonly circulated in everyday transactions as smaller denominations like quarters and dimes. However, it is still minted and is collected by coin enthusiasts.

The term “cent” is commonly used to refer to the one-cent coin, which is officially called the penny.