A girl and her brother collecting seashells on a sunny beach

Times as Many!

Zoe found 6 shiny shells at the beach. Her brother Kai says he found 4 times as many. Is that a lot more? Let's find out!

4th Grade Math

What Does 4 Times as Many Mean?

Zoe's group of 6 is on the left. Kai has 4 equal groups of 6, shown in the blue box. Each square represents one shell. How many shells does Kai have?

4 × 6 = 24. The product is 24 shells. Watch out: 6 + 4 = 10 is a trap. Do not add!

Write the Equation

We can use a symbol, like ?, for the unknown number. Kai has 4 times as many shells as Zoe's 6. Which equation matches the words?

"Times as many" tells us to multiply. The equation 4 × 6 = ? finds Kai's total: 24 shells.

Two Ways to Compare

Remember This!

          "3 more than 5" means add: 5 + 3 = 8.

          "3 times as many as 5" means multiply: 3 × 5 = 15.

          You must
          distinguish
          between the two!
        

Read the comparison words carefully. They tell you which operation to use.

More or Times?

Lena has 5 marbles. Ben has 3 more than Lena. Rosa has 3 times as many as Lena. Who has the most marbles?

Ben has 5 + 3 = 8 marbles. Rosa has 3 × 5 = 15 marbles. "Times as many" grows much faster than "more than"!

Watch Out!

A Common Mistake

          Some students see "3 times as many as 7" and write 7 + 3 = 10.
          That is wrong! "Times" means equal groups.

          3 times as many as 7 is 3 × 7 = 21.

Zoe says: My trick is to picture the groups. Three groups of 7 is way more than 10!

Practice: Ribbon Lengths

A red ribbon is 8 inches long. A blue ribbon is 6 times as long. How long is the blue ribbon?

6 × 8 = 48 inches. Adding 8 + 6 = 14 would only make it 6 inches longer, not 6 times as long.

How Many Times as Long?

0

6

12

18

24

30

36

42

48

54

60

A whale is 60 feet long. A dolphin is 6 feet long. The whale is how many times as long as the dolphin?

60 ÷ 6 = 10. The quotient is 10, so the whale is 10 times as long. You can also think 6 × ? = 60.

Find the Missing Number

Sam's book has 63 pages. That is 7 times as many pages as Ana's book. How many pages does Ana's book have?

7 × ? = 63

The missing factor is 9, because 7 × 9 = 63. Check by dividing: 63 ÷ 7 = 9.

Which Comparison Is True?

Jon ran 4 miles this week. Mia ran 12 miles. Pick the sentence that compares them correctly.

3 × 4 = 12, so Mia ran 3 times as far. She ran 12 − 4 = 8 more miles, not 3 more.

Practice: Tall Trees

A young oak tree is 12 feet tall. An old oak is 5 times as tall. How tall is the old oak?

5 × 12 = 60 feet. Break it apart: 5 × 10 = 50 and 5 × 2 = 10. Then 50 + 10 = 60.

Challenge Problem!

Tia saved $9. Marco saved 4 times as much as Tia. Leah saved $6 more than Marco. How much did Leah save?

First determine Marco's amount: 4 × 9 = $36. Then add for Leah: 36 + 6 = $42. This problem used both kinds of comparison!

Think About It

When would you use "times as many" to compare things in your own life? How would the answer change if you said "more than" instead?

Great Work!

0/9

correct

product factor quotient distinguish determine