3 x 4 = 4 x 3
Introduction, Stage 5 – Mental Multiplication
Your child is so familiar with addition that it’s no surprise that 2 + 3 is the same as 3 + 2. Although not as obvious, the same is true for multiplication.
This illustration shows that two rows of three is the same as three rows of two – you’re just changing your point of view!
It doesn’t matter which order you multiply two numbers – you get the same answer either way!
It’s great that this cool observation means that your child needs to master only about half as many multiplication facts – once your child knows 3 × 4, they also know 4 × 3.