These are the first sentences in the short story, “The Gift of the Magi,” by O. Henry: one dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies.” A. Simplify the equation that represents the value of the coins. Make it an equation that expresses the value of quarters, dimes, and nickels. B. Is it possible to have exactly 60 pennies in $1.87? Explain.

Q&A Education