O O O
   O O O

Nearby pennies are touching. By the fewest number of legal moves, transform the pattern into the pattern

O O O O O O

consecutive pennies touching. A legal move consists of sliding a penny, not picking up a penny, without disturbing the other pennies, to a new position touching at least two pennies. (You might want to look up Moving Quarters for a similar problem with the same rules.)

Amanda, I think you misunderstood the problem.

You can, only, slide a penny to a new position where it will touch TWO other pennies.

So, your first move is not possible, because the penny moved will touch only one penny.

The restriction given is to assure that the pennies will be located exactly at one place. Imagine that you have only 3 coins in a row. One legal move is slide the first over the other two, in the middle. 

And "stupidity" has nothing to do with this. Problably you are a beginner in solving puzzles, and you simply didn't understand correctly the puzzle. Only this.