← The Maths They Teach Now · Lesson 4 of 4
The area model
To multiply 23 by 14, children draw a rectangle 23 wide and 14 tall, split it into 20 and 3 one way, 10 and 4 the other, and find the four small areas: 200, 30, 80 and 12. Then they add them: 322.
It looks longer than the column method many of us learned. Its strength is that every number means something: you can see where each part comes from.
It is also the same picture they will use later for algebra, when (a + b)(c + d) becomes four rectangles.
In the area model for 23 × 14, which four parts are added?
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