Adding amounts
You learn to add two amounts: first the whole pounds, then the pence.
How to work it out
- Add the whole pounds together first.
- Then add the pence.
- If pence reach 100 or more, convert to 1 pound.
£4.25
A worked example
£2.20 + £1.30
- Add the pounds: 2 + 1 = 3.
- Add the pence: 20 + 30 = 50 pence.
- Put them together: £3.50.
More examples
£2.50 + £1.75
- Add the pounds: 2 + 1 = 3.
- Add the pence: 50 + 75 = 125 pence.
- Make 100 pence into a pound: 125 pence is £1.25.
- Put them together: £3 + £1.25 = £4.25.
£12.50 + £7.50
- Add the pounds: 12 + 7 = 19.
- Add the pence: 50 + 50 = 100 pence, and that is £1.
- Put them together: £19 + £1 = £20.
Watch out
You write 125 pence after the decimal point: £3.125.
Only two digits go after the decimal point. If it is 100 pence or more, make a pound from it first.
You forget the pound you made from 100 pence: £2.50 + £1.75 becomes £3.25.
After exchanging, check that you have added that pound to the pounds.
Tips
- One hundred pence is one pound: exchange them before you write the decimal point.
Why it works
Pounds and pence are two kinds of money, like tens and ones. If you count them separately, you do not get muddled. One hundred pence is exactly one pound, so you can exchange them.