4.OA.2: Solve Multiplicative Comparison Problems
Also written as 4.OA.A.2 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.OA.A.2 · Cluster: Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems.
The Official Wording
Multiply or divide to solve word problems involving multiplicative comparison, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem, distinguishing multiplicative comparison from additive comparison.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 4, Operations & Algebraic Thinking · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What 4.OA.2 Means in Plain English
Fourth graders solve stories where one amount is some number of times another. A red scarf that costs 3 times as much as a $6 blue one costs 3 × 6 = $18. When the larger amount is the one given, they divide instead.
The real skill is telling “3 times as much” from “3 more,” so students sketch equal bars and write an equation with a letter, like 8 × b = 72. In 5th grade this becomes multiplying as resizing, fractions included (5.NF.5).
4.OA.2 I Can Statements
- I can tell a “times as many” problem from a “more than” problem.
- I can draw bars to show one amount is several times another.
- I can multiply or divide to find the unknown amount.
4.OA.2 Worked Example
A comparison problem where the larger amount is the one you know, so the answer comes from dividing.
Our class sunflower is 72 inches tall. That is 8 times as tall as the bean plant on the windowsill. How tall is the bean plant?
- “8 times as tall” is a multiplying comparison. It does not mean 8 inches taller.times as, not more than
- Draw the bean plant as 1 bar and the sunflower as 8 bars of the same size. The 8 bars together are 72 inches.8 bars = 72 inches
- Let b be the bean plant’s height. Eight of them make the sunflower.8 × b = 72
- Find the missing factor by dividing: 8 times what is 72?b = 72 ÷ 8 = 9
Check it: Multiply back: 8 × 9 = 72. Had the problem said “8 inches taller,” the answer would be 72 − 8 = 64, so the words decide the operation.
Common Mistakes with 4.OA.2
Subtracting instead of dividing
The sunflower is 8 times as tall, so the bean plant is 72 − 8 = 64 inches
Try this: Circle the comparison words first. “Times as” means equal bars and multiplying or dividing, while “more than” means adding or subtracting.
Multiplying when the larger amount is given
72 is 8 times the bean plant, answered as 8 × 72 = 576 inches
Try this: Ask which is bigger, the sunflower or the bean plant. When the known amount is the bigger one, the answer must be smaller.
Giving the “times” a unit
“How many times as tall as a 6-foot fence is an 18-foot giraffe?” answered as 3 feet
Try this: Read the answer back into the sentence: “The giraffe is 3 times as tall.” A times is a count of copies, not a length.
Where 4.OA.2 Fits
Practice 4.OA.2
Quick Check
- Leo picked 7 apples. His dad picked 5 times as many. How many apples did his dad pick?
- A school bus holds 48 students. That is 6 times as many as a minivan holds. How many students does the minivan hold?
- A giraffe is 18 feet tall and a fence is 6 feet tall. How many times as tall as the fence is the giraffe?