Examples of Incorrect Answers
How the Mistakes are Made
Misconception Explained
In this math misconception, the value assigned to each digit ignores its corresponding place value. For instance, consider the number 4 in 48. Normally, it signifies ‘four tens,’ but in this misconception, it is treated as just 4. Consequently, when combining the two numbers, the digits are summed up as though they were all in the ones place.
Concepts Invovled
- Place Value
Discussion Questions
Example
Questions to Ask
- What does the 4 in 42 mean? (four tens)
- What does the 2 in 42 mean? (eight singles)
- What does the 3 in 35 mean? (three tens)
- What does the 5 in 35 mean? (five singles)
- When we add 42 and 35, how many singles are we adding? (2 and 5)
- When we add 42 and 35, how many tens are we adding? (4 and 3)
- How is 42 different from a four and a two? (the 4 in 42 means four tens, not four singles.)
- How is 35 different from a three and a five? (the 3 in 35 means three tens, not three singles.)
