Rule for Multiplying by One

Funland Amusement Park has an amazing petting zoo. Dedrick and his family are excited to see all of the animals! Look over there! Do you see the ponies, the potbellied pigs, the noisy chicks, and the soft, furry bunnies? Dedrick wonders how many chicks are in the coop.

He has recently learned that multiplication means adding equal groups of things together. One way to solve multiplication problems is by using repeated addition. He could count each chick. That would be simple! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10! There are 10 chicks. Dedrick tells his brother Nick that he counted ten chicks. Being the older brother, Nick enjoys teaching Dedrick new things. Nick says, "There is one group of 10 chicks. There is a rule for multiplying by one. When multiplying by 1, the answer is always the same as the number being multiplied by 1! In other words, one times ten equals ten!"

Dedrick finds multiplying by one fun! "Let's try another," he exclaims!

"Look over there at the ponies," shouts Dedrick. "There are three ponies. I can think of that as one group of three ponies, or using the rule for multiplying by 1, 1 x 3 = 3 ponies." "Great job!" Nick shares. "You can also think of the ponies as 3 groups of 1 pony or 3 x 1 = 3 ponies. It doesn’t matter if the one is first or second; the answer is always the same!"

Nick points to a sign. "Look! There are 147 visitors to the petting zoo today. That is a large number! Dedrick, what is one times one hundred forty-seven?" Dedrick thinks for a bit. He just learned that any number multiplied by one is the same number. "That's easy" he exclaims, "one times one hundred forty-seven is one hundred forty-seven!"

"Awesome!," shouts Nick. "Let's go show Mom and Dad what you learned today. You can explain the rule for multiplying by one to them."