How you could have $0.87 with the least number of coins possible?

3 quarters:

.87-.75 = 12
one dime, leaving 2 pennies

so 3 q, 1 d, 2 p

Break it down in the same way, if we assume that
half-dollars are still commonly in circulation

To have $0.87 with the least number of coins possible, you can use the following combination of coins:

- 3 quarters ($0.75)
- 1 dime ($0.10)
- 2 pennies ($0.02)

Adding these coins together, you would have a total of $0.87 with the least number of coins possible.

To figure out the least number of coins needed to make $0.87, we can start by identifying the denominations of coins available.

Let's assume the available coin denominations are: 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, and 50 cents.

To minimize the number of coins used, we need to start with the highest denomination first and work our way down.

Step 1: Using the largest coin available (50 cents), we can use it only once because $0.87 is less than $0.50. Thus, we have $0.37 remaining.

Step 2: The largest denomination after 50 cents is 25 cents. We can use one 25 cent coin, and we have $0.12 remaining.

Step 3: Next, we have 10 cent coins available. We can use one 10 cent coin, and we have $0.02 remaining.

Step 4: After that, we use two 1 cent coins to reach $0.04.

Step 5: Finally, we use two 2 cent coins to reach $0.06.

Now, we have $0.87 with a total of one 50 cent coin, one 25 cent coin, one 10 cent coin, two 2 cent coins, and two 1 cent coins. Thus, we achieve the minimum number of coins possible, which is 7 coins.