Video Transcript
When we multiply three numbers, we
can choose which calculation to do first. Do the highlighted calculations to
find the missing numbers. Six times five times two equals six
times what. Six times five times two equals
what times two. What is six times five times
two?
In this question, we’re being asked
to multiply three one-digit numbers together: six, five, and two. The question tells us that we can
choose which calculation to do first. We have to do the highlighted
calculations to find the missing number. In the first calculation, we have
to multiply five times two first. We know that five times two is 10,
so six times five times two is equal to six times 10. So the missing number in the first
calculation is 10.
The second calculation is the same
as the first. We’re still finding six times five
times two, but this time we have to multiply six by five first. Six times five is 30. Now all we have to do is multiply
30 by two. The missing number in the first
calculation is 10, and the missing number in the second calculation is 30. So to find six times five times
two, if we multiply five by two first, we get 10. And then we multiply six by 10. So the product of six times five
times two is 60.
Let’s check if we get the same
answer in our second calculation. Six times five is 30, and 30 times
two is also 60. It doesn’t matter how we group the
factors; the product doesn’t change. This question is all about the
associative property of multiplication. It doesn’t matter how we group the
factors; the product stays the same. Six times five times two equals
60.
