The grid method

Hello, and welcome to Myriora Maths! What is twenty-three times fourteen? That's too big for the times tables. But the grid method breaks it into small, easy pieces!

First, split each number into tens and ones. Twenty-three is twenty and three. Fourteen is ten and four.

Draw a grid. Put twenty and three along the top, and ten and four down the side. Each box is one small times question.

Twenty times ten is two hundred. Three times ten is thirty. Twenty times four is eighty. Three times four is twelve.

Now add up all four boxes. Two hundred, plus thirty, plus eighty, plus twelve, is three hundred and twenty-two. So twenty-three times fourteen is three hundred and twenty-two.

Why does this work? Think of twenty-three times fourteen as a rectangle, twenty-three long and fourteen tall. The grid cuts it into four pieces. The pieces cover the whole rectangle, so together they make the whole answer!

Let's try one together. What is a hundred and twenty-six times three? Split a hundred and twenty-six into hundreds, tens and ones. Say it out loud!

A hundred times three is three hundred. Twenty times three is sixty. Six times three is eighteen. Three hundred plus sixty plus eighteen is three hundred and seventy-eight!

Here's a question that catches lots of people. What is twenty-three times fourteen? Some people do twenty times ten, and three times four, and stop. That gives two hundred and twelve. But two boxes are missing! Every part of one number must be multiplied by every part of the other.

Your turn! What is thirty-four times twelve? Pick the right card. You've got fifteen seconds, or pause the video. Go!

Time's up! Thirty times ten is three hundred. Four times ten is forty. Thirty times two is sixty. Four times two is eight. Three hundred plus forty plus sixty plus eight is four hundred and eight!

Quick review. Split each number into hundreds, tens and ones. Multiply every part by every part, in a grid. Then add up all the boxes. See you next time!