Tables & multiplication · lesson 20 of 22 · free

Bigger or smaller? — Tables & Multiplication Mastery

Multiplying does not always make a number bigger! Multiply by more than 1 and it grows; by less than 1 (like 0.5) and it shrinks. Answer “bigger” or “smaller” without working out the whole sum.

How it works

Compare with 1 — “times more than 1 grows, times less than 1 shrinks”

  1. Look only at the multiplier: is it more than 1 or less than 1?
  2. More than 1 (1.1, 1.5, 2.5) → bigger.
  3. Less than 1 (0.2, 0.5, 0.75, 0.9) → smaller.

Use it for: Discounts, recipes, maps and scale drawings, and decimals in Class 5–7.

Worked example: Is 24 × 0.5 bigger or smaller than 24? Smaller

  1. 0.5 is less than 1.
  2. 24 × 0.5 is half of 24 = 12.
  3. 12 is smaller than 24.

Check: 24 × 0.5 = 12 and 12 < 24 ✓

✏️ Practice

Work it out in your head or on paper, type the answer and press Check. Stuck? Press “Show me how”.

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🏁 Lesson 20 test

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🖨️ Bigger or Smaller Multiplication Worksheet

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