Count the Change: work out the change at the register
Count the Change puts you at the register. The screen shows a total, such as $17.00, and the bill you pay with, such as a $20 bill. Pick the right change from four answers. A game has 8 questions. The free round below needs no sign-up.
Play a free round of Count the Change
Work out the change at the checkout. No sign-up, and speed never counts.
How to play
- Read the total and the bill you're paying with.
- Work out the change.
- Tap your answer.
You always pay with the smallest bill that's more than the total: $5, $10, $20 or $50. There's no time limit. A right answer moves on by itself in under a second. After a wrong one, the right answer is marked ✓ and yours is marked ✗. The game shows the sum, such as "$20.00 − $17.00 = $3.00", and waits for you to tap Next.
Totals at each level
| Level | Totals | Example | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whole dollars, $1 to $9 | $6.00, paid with a $10 bill | $4.00 |
| 2 | Whole dollars, $2 to $19 | $17.00, paid with a $20 bill | $3.00 |
| 3 | Dollars and quarters, such as $8.75 | $8.75, paid with a $10 bill | $1.25 |
| 4 | Any cents, up to $18.99 | $13.42, paid with a $20 bill | $6.58 |
| 5 | Any cents, $5.01 to $45.99 | $36.19, paid with a $50 bill | $13.81 |
The free round above is Level 2: whole-dollar totals up to $19.
Counting up, the way a cashier does
When the total has cents, counting up from the total is often easier than taking away. Here's $13.42 paid with a $20 bill:
- From $13.42 up to $13.50 is 8¢.
- From $13.50 up to $14.00 is 50¢.
- From $14.00 up to $20.00 is $6.
- Add them up: $6 + 50¢ + 8¢ = $6.58.
There's a shortcut for the cents, too. When the total has cents, its cents and the change's cents add up to a dollar: 42¢ needs 58¢ to make a dollar, so the change ends in 58¢. The dollars in the change are the bill minus the next whole dollar: $20 − $14 = $6.
The wrong answers are close
The three wrong choices are near misses, so a quick guess won't do. At Levels 1 and 2 they're off by $1, $2, $3 or $5. From Level 3 on they can be off by a dime, a quarter, 50¢, $1 or $2, so check the cents as well as the dollars.
Scoring
Each right answer is worth an equal share of 100, so 6 of 8 makes 75. The free round scores this way. So does the app in relaxed mode, which is on when you start.
A member can turn relaxed mode off in Account → Settings. Then right answers give up to 70 points and pace up to 30. An average of 4 seconds or less a question earns all 30, and 14 seconds or more earns none.
Questions about Count the Change
Do I count coins on the screen?
No. There are no coins or bills to drag around. You read the total, work out the change and tap one of four amounts.
Why do I pay for a $5.00 total with a $10 bill?
Because you always hand over the smallest bill that's more than the total. A $5.00 total is paid with a $10 bill, and the change is $5.00.
Can the change ever be zero?
No. The bill is always bigger than the total, so there's always change to work out.
Like number puzzles? True or False shows a sum and asks whether its answer is right. Every game is listed on the games page.