Grade 4 Bar Models: Multiplication & Division

Worked examples

Real problems from the practice worksheets, solved one step at a time.

1. Example 1

   Max has 93 marbles. Emma has 5 times as many marbles as Max. How many marbles does Emma have?

   1. Draw Max's bar as 1 unit of 93. Emma's bar is 5 of those units.
   2. 5 units of 93: multiply. 5 × 93 = 90 × 5 + 3 × 5 = 450 + 15 = 465.
   3. Emma has 465 marbles.

   Answer: 465

2. Example 2

   Emma has 150 crayons. That is 2 times as many crayons as Mia has. How many crayons does Mia have?

   1. Emma's bar is 2 equal units, and Mia's bar is 1 of those units.
   2. 2 units = 150, so 1 unit = 150 ÷ 2. 150 ÷ 2: take away 2 × 70 = 140 (10 left), 2 × 5 = 10 (0 left). 70 + 5 = 75, so 150 ÷ 2 = 75.
   3. Mia has 75 crayons.

   Answer: 75

3. Example 3

   Tom shares 250 marbles equally among 5 friends. How many marbles does each friend get?

   1. Draw one bar for all 250 marbles and cut it into 5 equal units, one for each friend.
   2. Sharing equally means dividing. 250 ÷ 5: take away 5 × 50 = 250 (0 left). 250 ÷ 5 = 50.
   3. Each friend gets 50 marbles.

   Answer: 50