the us dollar in subdivided into cents, and 100 cents equals 1 us dollar. one cent can be written as either $0.01 or 1¢. the cent or "penny" (not to be confused with the english penny sterling) is the least worth coin used in the u.s.. there are several different coins with different cent values of different materials and sizes. there is the penny (1¢ or $0.01), nickel (5¢ or $0.05), dime (10¢ or $0.10), quarter (25¢ or $0.25), and the much rarer half-dollar (50¢ or $0.50). all coins and paper bills have the faces of famous americans on the front side.