Arrays: Rows and Columns

🎯 What You'll Learn

You will learn to use arrays — objects arranged in rows and columns — to understand and visualise multiplication.

🏪 Market Story

Amina looks at an egg crate at the market. The eggs are neatly arranged: 5 rows with 6 eggs in each row. She can count them by multiplying: 5 × 6 = 30 eggs. The egg crate is an array!

📝 Let's Learn

An array is when objects are arranged in equal rows and equal columns, like a grid.

To find the total: Number of rows × Number in each row = Total

A 3 × 4 array looks like this:

● ● ● ●
● ● ● ●
● ● ● ●

3 rows of 4 = 12. You can also see it as 4 columns of 3 = 12. Same answer!

Example 1: Chairs arranged in 4 rows of 5: 4 × 5 = 20 chairs.

Example 2: A mango crate with 3 rows and 8 in each row: 3 × 8 = 24 mangoes.

Example 3: Windows on a building: 6 rows with 4 windows each: 6 × 4 = 24 windows.

✏️ Practice Questions

1. A classroom has desks in 5 rows with 6 desks in each row. How many desks?
2. A biscuit packet shows biscuits in 4 rows of 3. How many biscuits?
3. Tunde arranges his marbles in 7 rows with 4 marbles in each row. How many marbles?

Click to see answers

1. 5 × 6 = 30 desks.
2. 4 × 3 = 12 biscuits.
3. 7 × 4 = 28 marbles.

💡 Remember

Arrays show multiplication as rows and columns. Rows × objects per row = total. Arrays are everywhere: egg crates, classroom desks, buildings, and tiles on a floor!