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Colonial Arithmetic

DIRECTIONS:

People used British monetary units in colonial times: 1 pound (£1) was worth 20 shillings, 1 shilling was worth 12 pence (or pennies), 1 penny was worth 4 farthings, and 1 guinea was worth 21 shillings. The problems below show the kinds of arithmetic problems children who lived in the colonies might have had to solve. Can you solve them?

1. 1 pound = _____ pence

2. 1 shilling = _____ farthings

3. 2 guineas = _____shillings

4. 100 farthings = _____ shillings _____ pence

5. 6 shillings 3 pence = _____ pence

6. 30 pence = _____ shillings _____ pence

7. 488 pence = _____ pounds _____ pence

8. 504 pence = _____ guineas

9. 5 pounds = _____ guineas _____ shillings

10. 2 guineas 6 pence = _____ farthings

CHALLENGE PROBLEM:
Sarah and Nathaniel sold the extra vegetables from their garden to travelers on their road to Philadelphia. They sold 32 tomatoes for 1 farthing each, 16 bunches of carrots for 1 pence a bunch, 96 ears of corn for 1 shilling a dozen, and 48 potatoes at two for 1 pence.

1. How much money did they make in pence? __________
   
   
   
2. How many shillings did they each earn? __________

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