When you buy several of the same thing, multiply the price of one by how many you buy. 'Each' means every item costs the same. Three items at $4.25 each is 3 × $4.25 = $12.75 — the same as $4.25 + $4.25 + $4.25. Multiply the whole cents amount, including the cents, not just the dollars.
Explore this idea with maths tools
Maths you can move
Build 8 + 5
Tap two gold counters to fill the ten-frame.
8 in the frame + 5 waiting. The total stays the same.
Words to know
- each
- the price of one single item
- total
- the whole amount for everything together
Worked examples
3 items at $4.25 each
- 1.3 × $4.25.
- 2.$4.25 + $4.25 + $4.25.
= $12.75
4 items at $2.50 each
- 1.4 × $2.50.
= $10.00
5 items at $1.20 each
- 1.5 × $1.20.
= $6.00
For parents
Method: Repeated addition, then multiplication.
What to say: Ask 'how many lots of the price are there?'
Common mistakes:
- Adding the count to the price instead of multiplying.
- Multiplying only the dollars and dropping the cents.