
Multiplication can be shown with an array.
These are both arrays.

Both arrays show 2 rows of 3.
You can see 3 + 3 = 6 AND 2 x 3 = 6!
The array below has 4 rows. There are 2 squares in each row.
We can find the total by adding 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 8. Since the groups are all the same size, we can also multiply 4 groups of 2. It looks like this: 4 x 2 = 8.
To multiply arrays, count how many rows there are.
There are 4 rows in the array.
Next, count the columns. Columns are vertical and go from top to bottom.
There are 3 columns in the array.
The repeated addition expression for this array is 3 + 3 + 3 + 3. I added 4 groups of 3.
4 groups of 3 = 12
4 x 3 = 12 squares in all
Practice Problems
Select the sentence that describes the array.
Which multiplication equation represents the array?