How the Array Platform Works

The array platform can hold up to 15 groups of 25 blocks.

Here we have 3 groups of 4 blocks loaded onto the array platform. Notice that to find out how many is in 3 groups of 4, we don’t count squares of area, but the number of blocks themselves.

Using the array platform, students can see what large multiplication problems mean by building them. Here we’ve built 12 X 16.

Students can execute this multiplication problem before knowing the algorithm by simply packing the blocks.

In this case, after packing as much as possible, we end up with 1 block-of-100, 9 blocks-of-10 and 2 single blocks.

Notice how we can also see the partial products of 12 * 16 on the array platform. We can solve these simpler problems to get the answer 192.