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Times Tables: Is Three X Two Two Lots Of Three Or Three Lots Of Two?

An interesting article on the nature of multiplication I am indebted to Crewton Ramone for the article

Date : 11/01/2011

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Robin

Uploaded by : Robin
Uploaded on : 11/01/2011
Subject : Maths

Technically it is two lots of three. The multiplier is the second number and the multiplicand is the first. This is counter intuitive to those who imagine it to be like English, which, if you replaced the x symbol with `lots of`, would read three lots of two. And one of the ways we ask children to imagine the concept of `times` is as `lots of`. It also has implications to the name we give to times tables. Is the three times tables 3 x1, 3 x 2, 3 x 3 etc; or is it 1x 3, 2 x 3, 3 x 3 etc? It is in fact the former, but most people learn their times tables the latter way, and would call that the 3 times table. The clue is really in the name: `3 times table` The 3 comes before the `times` and the number which changes is the latter one- the multiplier.

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