• Journal of applied mathematics & informatics
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• v.29 no.5_6
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• pp.1603-1608
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• 2011

Let R be a ring with identity. If a, b, $c{\in}R$ such that a+b+c = 1, then the distributive laws from addition over multiplication hold in R, that is a+(bc) = (a+b)(a+c) when ab = ba, and (ab)+c = (a+c)(b+c) when ac = ca. An application to obtains, if A,B are idempotent matrices and AB = BA = 0 then there exists an idempotent matrix C such that A + BC = (A + B)(A + C), and also A + BC = (I - C)(I - B). Some other cases and applications are also presented.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.143-168
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• 2019

Along with the significance of algebraic thinking in elementary school, it has been recently emphasized that the properties of number and operations need to be explored in a meaningful way rather than in an implicit way. Given this, the purpose of this study was to analyze how third graders could understand the properties of operations in multiplication after they were taught such properties through a reconstructed unit of multiplication. For this purpose, the students from three classes participated in this study and they completed pre-test and post-test of the properties of operations in multiplication. The results of this study showed that in the post-test most students were able to employ the associative property, commutative property, and distributive property of multiplication in (two digits) × (one digit) and were successful in applying such properties in (two digits) × (two digits). Some students also refined their explanation by generalizing computational properties. This paper closes with some implications on how to teach computational properties in elementary mathematics.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.181-203
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• 2019

Even though the properties of operations in multiplication serve a fundamental basis of conceptual understanding the multiplication with whole numbers for elementary students, there has been lack of research in this field. Given this, the purpose of this study was to analyze instructional methods related to the properties of operations in multiplication (i.e., commutative property of multiplication, associative property of multiplication, distributive property of multiplication over addition) in a series of mathematics textbooks of Korea, Japan, and the US. The overall analysis was conducted in the following two aspects: (a) when and how to deal with the properties of multiplication in three instructional context (i.e., introduction, application, generalization), and (b) what models use to represent the properties of multiplication. The results of this showed that overall similarities in introducing the properties of multiplication .in (one digit) ${\times}$ (one digit) as well as emphasizing the divers representation. However, subtle but meaningful differences were analyzed in applying and generalizing the properties of multiplication. Based on these results, this paper closes with some implications on how to teach the properties of operations in multiplication properties in elementary mathematics.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.249-267
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• 2017

The unit of multiplication in the mathematics textbook for third graders deals with two-digit number multiplied by one-digit number. Students tend to perform multiplication without necessarily understanding the principle behind the calculation. Against this background, we designed the unit in a way for students to explore the principle of multiplication with cuisenaire rods and array models. The results of this study showed that most students were able to represent the process of multiplication with both cuisenaire rods and array models and to connect such a process with multiplicative expressions. More importantly, the associative property of multiplication and the distributive property of multiplication over addition were meaningfully used in the process of writing expressions. To be sure, some students at first had difficulties in representing the process of multiplication but overcame such difficulties through the whole-class discussion. This study is expected to suggest implications for how to teach multiplication on the basis of the properties of the operation with appropriate instructional tools.