Concepts

Divisibility Rules help us figure out if a number is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 25 and 100. They help us perform a divisibility test easily and quickly. Students usually know the factors of the numbers 1-100 by grade four from practicing the multiplication facts. Divisibility rules …

Prime Factorization is the method of finding which set of prime numbers multiply together to make a number. In a previous post, we talked about factorization, which is a method of finding the factors of a number but not necessarily the prime factors. What is different with prime factorization is that we …

The order of operations is a group of rules that tells you the right order in which to solve different parts of a math problem. It is like an agreement we all made to be sure that we read and understand a problem the same way. According to the order of operations, we need to first …

The connection of binary number system to computers makes it a very interesting concept for students. The binary number system helps to store information of all kinds on computers. Computers use binary digits (or bits) because they can only read and store an on or off charge. So, using 0 …

In today’s post, we will talk about factorization. What it is. How it is done. How it helps us and how to help students understand it. We will dive deep into these with an example for factors of 24. Factoring is a math operation. It is the process of breaking …

The Hindu Multiplication or Lattice multiplication is an algorithm that was first founded in the 10th century in India. This method was later adopted and introduced in Europe by Leonardo Fibonacci in his Liber Abaci. The method is also called Lattice Multiplication because it requires a rectangular lattice with diagonals drawn through the cells. Each cell …

Pythagoras of Samos Pythagoras of Samos was a Greek mathematician and philosopher (c. 570 – c. 495 BC). He is known best for the proof of the important Pythagorean theorem, which is about right triangles. He taught a group of mathematicians, called the Pythagoreans, who worshiped numbers and lived like monks. Pythagoras was a great influence on Plato. Pythagoras was born in Samos, a …

When students struggle with multiplication facts, solving complicated problems (like for example finding common denominators to add fractions) becomes hard. When they use most of their working memory on simple calculations they have little mental space left for understanding new concepts. Students start learning the multiplication facts in grade 3 …

What makes fractions challenging for students? I recently came across a few articles about teaching fractions and realized that educators and parents share the opinion that fractions and their operations are one of the most difficult concepts for students to grasp. Learning the various fraction operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, comparing, simplifying) …