Multiplication using place value material Many important ideas about multiplication can be taught using place value material, such as MAB (MultiBase Arithmetic Blocks) or icypole sticks bundled into tens, unifix etc. Click below to see the following examples using MAB. Multiplication by ones 3 x 6 23 x 4 Multiplication by tens 10 x 2 10 x 32 Multiplication by ones: Example of 3 x 6 This basic example shows how multiplication is treated as repeated addition of equal groups to use place value materials and illustrates basic "trading" of ones for tens. Three groups of 6 will be as shown below. Now there are more than 10 blocks. 10 of these can be traded for one long or ten. So the answer is 18. Multiplication by ones: Example of 23 X 4 23 is represented by 4 groups of 23 will be Now there are 8 longs and 12 ones. At this stage, 10 ones can be traded for 1 long, giving 9 longs and 2 ones. 4 groups of 23 become 9 longs and 2 ones, giving 92. Multiplication by 10: Example of 10 X 2 Start with 10 groups of 2 10 ones can be traded for a long and then the other 10 ones can be traded for another long. Thus 10 groups of 2 become 2 tens or twenty. Multiplication by 10: Example of 10 X 32 32 is 3 tens and 2 ones. That is 3 longs and 2 ones. 10 groups of 32 will be Now there are 30 longs and 20 ones. 10 longs can be traded for a flat. 30 longs can be traded for 3 flats. And the 20 ones can be traded for 2 longs. So in all we have 3 flats and 2 longs. The answer is 320. This justifies the rule of "adding a zero" to multiply by ten. The effect of "adding a zero" is to move each digit to a higher place value column.