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Common Core Math4th GradeOperations & Algebraic Thinking

4.OA.1: Interpret Multiplication as a Comparison

Also written as 4.OA.A.1 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.OA.A.1 · Cluster: Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems.

Make 4.OA.1 Word ProblemsAll 28 4th Grade Math Standards

The Official Wording

Interpret a multiplication equation as a comparison, e.g., interpret 35 = 5 × 7 as a statement that 35 is 5 times as many as 7 and 7 times as many as 5. Represent verbal statements of multiplicative comparisons as multiplication equations.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 4, Operations & Algebraic Thinking · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What 4.OA.1 Means in Plain English

Third graders read 4 × 8 as four groups of eight. Fourth graders also read it as a comparison: Jada has 8 stickers and her brother has 4 times as many, so he has 32. The same equation says 32 is 8 times as many as 4.

Students also go from words to symbols: “a tree is 5 times as tall as a 4-foot bush” becomes t = 5 × 4. Next they solve comparison word problems (4.OA.2), and in 5th grade they see multiplying as resizing (5.NF.5).

4.OA.1 I Can Statements

  • I can read 32 = 4 × 8 as a comparison.
  • I can say the same comparison the other way around.
  • I can write an equation for a “times as many” sentence.

4.OA.1 Worked Example

Jada’s stickers and her brother’s, drawn as rows: the first row is hers, all four rows together are his.

4 groups of 8
The first row is Jada’s 8 stickers. Her brother has that same row 4 times over: 8, 16, 24, 32. His 32 is 4 times as many as her 8.
32 = 4 × 8

Jada has 8 stickers. Her brother has 4 times as many, so he has 32. Now count the picture by columns: 8 columns of 4 dots. So the equation also says 32 is 8 times as many as 4. The 4 and the 8 trade jobs, and 32 is always the larger amount.

Common Mistakes with 4.OA.1

Hearing “times as many” as “more than”

“Her brother has 4 times as many as Jada’s 8” answered as 8 + 4 = 12

Try this: Draw Jada’s row, then ask how many copies of it her brother has. Four copies of 8 is 32, not 12.

Reading the comparison only one way

Agrees that 32 is 4 times as many as 8, then insists 32 cannot be 8 times as many as 4

Try this: Turn the dot picture sideways: 4 rows of 8 become 8 rows of 4. The same 32 dots prove both statements.

Putting the numbers in the wrong spots

“18 is 3 times as many as 6” written as 3 = 18 × 6

Try this: Ask which amount is the larger one and write it alone on one side first: 18 = 3 × 6. Multiplying confirms it.

Where 4.OA.1 Fits

Comes Before3.OA.1Read 4 × 8 as 4 groups of 8 objects each.3.OA.7Know all products of two one-digit numbers from memory.
Alongside4.OA.2Solve word problems that compare amounts by multiplying or dividing.4.MD.1Use “12 times as long” to change 4 feet into 48 inches.
Comes Next5.NF.5Think of multiplying as resizing, so 3 × 8 is 8 made three times as large.6.RP.1Describe two amounts with a ratio, like 32 stickers to 8.

Practice 4.OA.1

Word Problem GeneratorFree Tool“Times as many” stories with one-digit factors. Have students write the equation before the answer, with the larger amount alone on one side.ComparisonMultiplicationAnswer key
Make Word Problems

Quick Check

  1. Write 42 = 6 × 7 as two comparison sentences.
  2. Write an equation for “A tree is 5 times as tall as a 4-foot bush,” then solve it.
  3. True or false: 24 = 3 × 8 means 8 is 3 times as many as 24.

4.OA.1: Other Names

4.OA.14.OA.A.1CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.OA.A.1

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.