Primary 4 maths · Operations · About 10 minutes
Multiply up to four digits by one digit
Split the number by place value, multiply each part, then put the parts back together.
Start the interactive lesson →Open practice activity
What you will learn
- Multiply up to four digits by one digit
Models used: number sentences, stories, tables.
Before you start
A large group can be split into smaller groups
We have 4 rows of 23. Each row can be split into 20 and 3.
Each little square is one square unit. There are 23 squares across and 4 rows.
We have 4 rows of 23. Each row can be split into 20 and 3.
23 × 4
The complete bar is the whole. Each labelled section is one part of it.
Four rows of 20 make 80. We can count those as four groups of two tens.
20 × 4 = 80
4 rows run across the picture; each row contains 3 objects.
The four extra groups of 3 make 12.
3 × 4 = 12
4 rows of 3 = 4 × 3 = 12
The complete bar is the whole. Each labelled section is one part of it.
Join both parts. Splitting the rows did not change the number of objects.
23 × 4 = 80 + 12 = 92
What did the picture help us see?
Join both parts. Splitting the rows did not change the number of objects.
Worked example: A new example, together
Calculate 4689 × 6.
| Equal groups | Amount in each |
|---|---|
| 4689 | 6 |
Each group contains the same amount. The total is not shown. Read each value with the heading above its column.
Split the number by place value, multiply each part, then put the parts back together.
Multiplying each part of a amount and joining the products preserves the total.
Each group contains the same amount. The total is not shown. Equal groups Amount in each 4689 6 Each group contains the same amount. The total is not shown. Read each value with the heading above its column.
Split 4689 by place value: 4000 + 600 + 80 + 9.
Each group contains the same amount. The total is not shown. Equal groups Amount in each 4689 6 Calculate 4689 × 6.
28134
Each group contains the same amount. The total is not shown. Read each value with the heading above its column.
4000 × 6 = 24000; 600 × 6 = 3600; 80 × 6 = 480; 9 × 6 = 54.
Each group contains the same amount. The total is not shown. Equal groups Amount in each 4689 6 Each group contains the same amount. The total is not shown. Read each value with the heading above its column.
Join the products: 24000 + 3600 + 480 + 54 = 28134.
Each group contains the same amount. The total is not shown. Equal groups Amount in each 4689 6 Each group contains the same amount. The total is not shown. Read each value with the heading above its column.
Check the result against the question we started with.
28134 ÷ 6 = 4689.
We found 28134. Multiplying each part of a amount and joining the products preserves the total.
Each group contains the same amount. The total is not shown. Equal groups Amount in each 4689 6
Common mistakes to discuss
- Forgetting to carry into the next place. Each place is multiplied, and anything over nine moves on. 570 × 3 is 1710: the 21 tens become 1 hundred and 1 ten.
Check your understanding
- Multiply up to four digits by one digit
- multiply a larger number place by place
- check the answer against the original quantities and units
Explain your reasoning to an adult, then try a fresh question in the interactive lesson. A result from one attempt is not proof of lasting mastery.
Try this lesson →Related Primary 4 lessons
- Multiply up to three digits by two digitsMultiply up to three digits by two digits · About 10 minutes
- Divide up to four digits by one digitDivide up to four digits by one digit · About 10 minutes