A classroom buys 3 packs of pencils with 12 pencils per pack. How many pencils?

A classroom buys 3 packs of pencils with 12 pencils per pack. How many pencils?

• A. 24
• B. 12
• C. 48
• D. 36

Answer: (D)

Think of multiplication as combining equal-sized groups. If there are three packs and each pack has twelve pencils, you can count twelve pencils three times, which is the same as 3 × 12. That gives thirty-six pencils, and you can see it as twelve plus twelve plus twelve. The total depends on how many packs you have—fewer packs would yield a smaller total, more packs would yield a larger total. So the scenario results in thirty-six pencils.

Think of multiplication as combining equal-sized groups. If there are three packs and each pack has twelve pencils, you can count twelve pencils three times, which is the same as 3 × 12. That gives thirty-six pencils, and you can see it as twelve plus twelve plus twelve. The total depends on how many packs you have—fewer packs would yield a smaller total, more packs would yield a larger total. So the scenario results in thirty-six pencils.