Multiplication Box Method

Launch:
A room that needs to be tiled is 72 ft. by 35 ft. Owen figured out how many tiles
were needed to tile the floor by solving the problem in this way:

70 +
2

3 2,100 60 2,160
0

+ +
350 10
5
360

2,520
Explore:
A. What do you notice about how he set up the problem?
1. Why did he write 70 + 2?
2. Why did he write 30 + 5?
B. Look at the numbers inside the box.
1. How did he get 2,100?
2. How did he get 60?
3. How did he get 350?
4. How did he get 10?
C. Now what?
1. Why did he write 2,160?
2. Why did he write 360?
3. How many tiles did Owen figure were needed to tile the 72 ft. by 35 ft.
room?

D. Use Owen’s method to solve the following problems

 1. 39 × 21

2. 54 × 90

E. Solve this problem using Owen’s method: 257 x 48

1. What did you have to do differently to solve this problem?

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F. Solve this problem using Owen’s Method: 527 × 291

G. Could you solve any multiplication problem using the Box method? Explain
your reasoning.
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 Partial Products Method
(Distributive Property)

Launch:
Similar to Owen, Megan also needs to tile a room that is 72 ft. by 35 ft.
However, Megan figured out how many tiles were needed to tile this floor a
different way. Her solution looked like this:

70 + 2
× 30 + 5
10 5 × 2 = 10
350 5 × 70 = 350
60 30 × 2 = 60
+ 2,100 30 × 70 = 2100
2,520

Explore:
A. What do you notice about how she set up the problem?
1. Why did she write 70 + 2?
2. Why did she write 30 + 5?
3. How did she get 10?
4. How did she get 350?
5. How did she get 60?
6. How did she get 2,100?

B. Did Megan arrive at the same answer as Owen?

1. How are Owen and Megan’s method the same?
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2. How are they different?_______________________________________________
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C. Use Megan’s method to solve the following problems:

1. 83 × 12

2. 66 × 47
D. Solve this problem using Megan’s Method: 503 x 71

1. What did you have to do differently to solve this problem?

_______________________________________________________________________
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E. Solve this problem using Megan’s Method: 332 × 259

1. What did you have to do differently to solve this problem?

_______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

F. Could you use Megan’s Method to solve any multiplication problem? Explain
your reasoning.
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U.S. Algorithm
Launch:
Max looked at Owen’s method and Megan’s method and decided that their
method involves too much writing. He presented his solution to the tiling problem.

1
72
× 35
360
+ 2160
2520

Explore:
G. What do you notice about how he set up the problem?
1. Why did Max write 360 on the first line?
__________________________________________________________________
2. What is the purpose of the small 1 above the seven?
__________________________________________________________________
3. Why did he write 2160, instead of 216 on the second line?
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H. Use this method to solve the following problems:

1. 76 × 32

2. 48 × 39

I. Solve this problem using Max’s Method: 252 ×71

 1. What did you have to do differently to solve this problem?
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__
2. Think of another 3-digit by 2-digit multiplication problem and solve it
using this method.

J. Solve this problem using Megan’s Method: 524 × 231 =

1. What did you have to do differently to solve this problem?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_

K. Could you use Max’s method to solve any multiplication problem? Explain
your reasoning.
_____________________________________________________________________________
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