Question

which model represents 3 × 26?
four models with circles, bars labeled with numbers

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the distributive property

We know that \(3\times26 = 3\times(20 + 6)\) by the distributive property of multiplication over addition, which states that \(a\times(b + c)=a\times b+a\times c\).

Step2: Analyze each option

• First option: The model shows \(3\times(6 + 2)=3\times8\), which is not equal to \(3\times26\).
• Second option: The model shows \(3\times(26+ 10)=3\times36\), which is not equal to \(3\times26\).
• Third option: The model shows \(3\times(20 + 6)\). Since \(20+6 = 26\), this is equivalent to \(3\times26\) by the distributive property.
• Fourth option: The model shows \(6\times(20 + 3)=6\times23\), which is not equal to \(3\times26\).

Answer:

The third option (the one with 20, 6, and 3)