This week in maths, Year 6 explored the fascinating relationship between factors and products. They learned the generalisation: “If I halve one factor, I must double the other factor to keep the product the same.” This important concept helps deepen their understanding of multiplication and how numbers interact within equations.
To put this theory into practice, the children built their own arrays using counters and grids. They experimented with halving one factor and doubling the other, observing how the total number of items—the product—remained consistent. For example, they saw how an array of 4 rows with 6 items per row (4 × 6 = 24) could be transformed into 8 rows with 3 items per row (8 × 3 = 24), illustrating the principle perfectly.
