Solving multiplication word problems is easy. We will build word families to solve multiplication problems. Start by looking at each sentence in the problem. Then look for clue words such as "each." Let's look at this problem:
Each hat has 7 rabbits. You have 42 rabbits. How many hats do you have?
Let's study each sentence.
1) Each hat has 7 rabbits.
From this sentence, we can make a number family. Number families are useful for solving multiplication problems.
There are more rabbits than hats, so r (for rabbits) must be the greater number (larger number). Next, the word "each" clues us in on one lesser number (smaller number). The word after "each" is "hat," so h (for hat) is one lesser number. The other lesser number is 7.
2) You have 42 rabbits.
This tells us that we should replace r with 42.
3) How many hats do you have?
In the number family, the missing number is h. Our equation, then, is 7 times h equals 42 (7 x h = 42). We know that 7 times 6 equals 42 (7 × 6 = 42), so 6 must be the missing number. There are 6 hats.
Let's try another problem:
There are 15 barrels of shrimp in each ship. There are 7 ships. How many barrels are there in all?
We know that each ship has 15 barrels. The word "ship" comes after "each", so s (for ship) is one of the lesser numbers. There are more barrels than ships, so b (for barrels) is the greatest number. The other lesser number is 7. Let's write this down in a number family:
From the number family, we know that the equation is 15 times 7 equals s. Let's write this in a column problem:
Multiplying 15 times 7 equals 105 (15 x 7 = 105). There are 105 barrels of shrimp in all.
