In this activity, we will learn about multiplying by 4.

 

To multiply by four, we can use repeated addition.

 

Here is a cow. One cow has 4 legs.

 

 

Let's think about what happens if we have 5 cows, each with 4 legs and we want to find the total number of legs!

 

 

We could count the legs one by one but this would take a while!

 

Instead, let's use repeated addition to show the total. 

 

5 groups of 4 looks like this as repeated addition

4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 20

There are 20 legs in total!

 

Now let's try an example of multiplying by 4, using repeated addition. 

 

Example

Here are 4 cows. They each have 4 legs. How many legs in total?

 

 

Answer

In total, there are 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 16 legs.

What is 4 times 4?

4 × 4 = 16

 

Now that you understand repeated addition, let's try some questions.