Tips for Teachers Arithmetic

Multiply Screen
In the Multiply screen, users can answer multiplication problems and receive immediate feedback on
their arithmetic board.

SELECT more REFRESH board

dif cult levels with and try again for
larger boards a higher score!

STRATEGIZE
ANIMATE how to answer
answer to the the problem
board

ENTER answer
using the number
pad

Factor Screen
In the Factor screen, users drag their cursor or nger around the arithmetic board to nd two numbers
that multiply to equal the given product.

DRAG the corner

FIND two
of the grid until
numbers that
you make the
make this
product
statement true

McGarry, Dalton, Hanson, August 2023

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Divide Screen
In the Divide screen, users can use division to nd the missing factor in a multiplication problem.

ANIMATE
answer to the HIGHLIGHT the
board given factor

DIVIDE to nd
the missing factor

Insights into Student Use

• Students can use the purple highlighted cells to answer a multiplication problem, whether it is using an
area model for multiplication, an additive strategy, or skip-counting.
• The problems posed on the Divide screen are framed as a multiplication problem. This might be
different from what students are used to, but can also be powerful in helping students see the
connection between multiplication and division.

Suggestions for Use

Sample Challenge Prompts
• Why can two numbers be multiplied in any order?
• On the Multiply screen, how can you use the purple squares to help you answer a multiplication
problem?
• On the Division screen, there is no division symbol. How is this a division problem? Re-write one of
these problems as a division statement.
• Which numbers form a purple square on the arithmetic board?
• Which numbers do not appear on the arithmetic board?
• After you complete a board, what patterns do you notice? How do those patterns compare on
differently sized boards?

Customization Options
Query parameters allow for customization of the simulation, and can be added by appending a '?' to the
sim URL, and separating each query parameter with a ‘&’. The general URL pattern is:
…html?queryParameter1&queryParameter2&queryParameter3

For example, in Arithmetic, if you only want to include the 1st and 2nd screens (screens=1,2), with the
2nd screen open by default (initialScreen=2) use:
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/arithmetic/latest/arithmetic_all.html?screens=1,2&initialScreen=2
McGarry, Dalton, Hanson, August 2023
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 To run this in Spanish (locale=es), the URL would become:
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/arithmetic/latest/arithmetic_all.html?locale=es&screens=1,2&initialScreen=2

Query Parameter and Description Example Links

screens - speci es which screens are included in screens=1
the sim and their order. Each screen should be
separated by a comma. For more information, visit screens=2,1
the Help Center.
initialScreen - opens the sim directly to the initialScreen=1
speci ed screen, bypassing the home screen. initialScreen=3

locale - specify the language of the simulation locale=es (Spanish)

using ISO 639-1 codes. Available locales can be locale=fr (French)
found on the simulation page on the Translations
tab. Note: this only works if the simulation URL
ends in “_all.html”.
allowLinks - when false, disables links that allowLinks=false
take students to an external URL. Default is true.

See all published activities for Arithmetic here.

For more tips on using PhET sims with your students, see Tips for Using PhET.

McGarry, Dalton, Hanson, August 2023

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