Multiplicative Comparison Builder

A multiplicative comparison says that one group is a certain number of times larger than another group.

"Jess has 4 times as many marbles as Sam" means if Sam has 3 marbles, Jess has 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12 marbles. We multiply, not add.

A bar model draws equal-sized bars to show the comparison visually. The teal bar shows the smaller group. The amber bars show how many copies make the larger group.

Counting the amber segments tells you the multiplier. The total length shows the product.

Every multiplicative comparison involves three numbers connected by multiplication.

• Base: the smaller starting amount
• Multiplier: how many times larger
• Product: base x multiplier

If you know two of them, you can always find the third.

"4 times as many" is very different from "4 more than." Additive comparisons use addition or subtraction. Multiplicative comparisons use multiplication.

If Sam has 3 marbles, "4 more" means 7. "4 times as many" means 12. The words matter!