Video Transcript
Use the symbol is less than, is equal to, or is greater than to fill in the blank: 33 plus 33 plus 33 what four multiplied by 33.
In this problem, we’re given two expressions. The first is an addition. We could call it a multiple addition because we’re adding three numbers that are all the same, 33 plus 33 plus 33. Our second expression is a multiplication, four times 33. And we need to choose the correct symbol to fill in the blank. Is the first expression less than the second? Are they both worth the same? Or is the first expression greater than the second one?
We can find the answer without actually having to calculate anything. We just need to think about what each expression means. Firstly, the addition 33 plus 33 plus 33. As well as representing this value as an addition, we can also think of it as a multiplication. We have three lots of the same number. And so, we can write this value as three lots of 33 or three times 33. As we’ve said already, we don’t have to work out what the answer is because we can now compare this with the second expression, which is larger.
Three lots of 33 or four lots of 33? We know four multiplied by 33 is going to be larger. And so, we can say that our first expression is less than the second. The symbol that we need to use in between the expressions is the one that represents is less than. 33 plus 33 plus 33 is less than four times 33.
