Math Story : Associative Property Of Multiplication
Who Is The Math Genius?
“Triho! Come out Triho! Do you think you are smarter than me? I am Atriho Boss! I am a genius. Come defeat me if you can!” he says aggressively. Atriho Boss has always been proud of himself. Do you think Triho will agree to fight with him?
Hearing the loud voice, Triho comes out of his home. “Yes! Why not? Today, let us find out who is more genius and powerful”, he says and runs to attack him. Atriho Boss on the other hand chases him faster.
As they jump to attack each other, ”Stop it!” they hear a firm voice instructing them. “To find the genius, why use power when we can use intelligence? How about having a non-violent competition?” says Uncle Math as he reveals himself. Triho and Atriho Boss are curious to find out more about this competition.
“Since we need to test your intelligence, we can have a competition where I will pose questions to both of you. The person who gets the maximum answers right is better than the other and is a genius. Simple!” explains Uncle Math.
Atriho Boss likes the idea but has some apprehensions. “But what if your questions are partial? What if you help Triho?” he says. “I am a teacher. I always play a fair game”, says Uncle Math. Atriho Boss and Triho finally agree to take part in the competition. Uncle Math quickly decides to frame the rules, questions and rounds of the competition.
“Alright! Welcome to Who is a genius? competition. There are going to be three multiplication questions posed to both of you. You will press the buzzer to answer and earn 10 points for each right answer. But the important part is that you cannot get violent throughout the competition. Am I clear?” instructs Uncle Math. Triho and Ariho Boss are ready. There is no confusion.
“Alright! Let us begin”, says Uncle Math. “Triho! Get ready to lose”, says Atriho Boss. “Time will show you the genius. Have patience”, says Triho. Who will win the genius title?
“What is the product of 27 x 10?” Uncle Math presents the first question. Quickly Triho and Atriho write the question down and start solving it. Buzz! Uncle Math hears the first buzzer. Who has pressed it?
“Atriho Boss! What is your answer?” he says.
“27 x 10 is equal to 270. Whenever multiplying 10 with any number, just add 0 as the last digit. That becomes your answer. Simple!” says Atriho Boss proudly. Triho is surprised to see his trick. “Why didn’t I think of this trick? I kept solving the multiplication using the long method. So silly! I need to be extra careful”, he thinks. The score is 10-0.
“Right answer! Atriho Boss earns 10 points”, announces Uncle Math. Triho is disappointed. “Here is the second question. What is the product of 8 x 3 x 2?” he announces. “Oh no! 3 numbers? This is tricky.” thinks Atriho Boss. Buzz! Uncle Math hears the buzzer. Who has pressed it?
“48”, says Triho. “Correct answer. Triho earns 10 points”, announces Uncle Math. “Argghh! How did he solve it so fast?” thinks Atriho Boss. The score is 10 all. The competition is getting tougher and tougher. Who will win this?
“What is the product of 8 x 15 x 4?” announces Uncle Math. “Another 3 numbers multiplication. Let me quickly multiply from left to right”, thinks Atriho Boss and he starts multiplying. Buzz! He hears a buzzer. Hurrah! Triho has solved it. But is he going to earn 10 points?
“480 is the answer”, says Triho confidently. “Correct answer. Triho earns 10 points”, announces Uncle Math. The score is 20- 10. Clearly, Triho is the winner!” announces Uncle Math. Triho jumps out of joy. But Atriho Boss is furious.
Unable to believe that Triho solved it faster than him, Atriho Boss rushes to see his notes. “Wrong! This is wrong! He should have multiplied from left to right!” he says. Uncle Math is confused.
“I don’t think so. All I did was multiply the smaller and easier numbers first and later multiply the result with a bigger number. So I multiplied 15 and 4 and then multiplied the result with 8. Because multiplying 15 and 8 would have been more difficult. Thus could do the multiplication quickly”, explains Triho.
“Triho is right Atriho Boss! He has used the associative property of multiplication to solve this question. So smart! The associative property of multiplication states that the product of three or more numbers remains the same regardless of how the numbers are grouped,” explains Uncle Math.
Atriho Boss is frustrated seeing Triho win the competition. He runs to attack him. “Remember, you cannot be violent!” says Uncle Math and stops him. Atriho Boss gets more frustrated. But he has no other way out than to leave the place. He leaves furiously.
Hurrah! Triho is the genius. He is delighted. Uncle Math congratulates him and says, “A true genius always keeps control of his emotions and does not give up till the end. I am proud of you.” Triho is a genius indeed!
We Learnt That…
- The associative property of multiplication states that the product of three or more numbers remains the same regardless of how the numbers are grouped.
- The associative property acts as a shortcut to multiplying numbers faster.
- The associative property is applicable to addition and multiplication only not subtraction and division.
- A true genius always keeps control of his emotions and does not give up till the end.
Let’s Discuss
- Why was Atriho Boss provoking me?
- How did Uncle Math help in deciding the genius?
- How did Atriho Boss solve the first question?
- How did I win the competition?
- What is the associative property of multiplication? Explain.
Please refer this guide by Fun2Do Labs for teaching properties of multiplication to kids :
