Gabriel is solving 23 x 12. He already multiplied the ones, 2 x 3 = 6. What two digits should he multiply next? How do you know these are the digits he should multiply?

Question

GPT-4o mini · Answer

To solve $23 \times 12$, Gabriel has already multiplied the ones digits: $2 \times 3 = 6$. Now, he needs to multiply the next two digits to complete the multiplication. The two digits he should multiply next are the tens digits and the one from the ones digits. Specifically, he should first multiply the tens digit of the first number (which is 2 from 20) by the ones digit of the second number (which is 2 from 12), and then he should also multiply the ones digit of the first number (3) by the tens digit of the second number (1 from 10). Here’s how it breaks down: 1. Multiply the tens digit of the first number (2) by the ones digit of the second number (3). $$ 2 \times 3 = 6 $$ 2. Multiply the ones digit of the first number (3) by the tens digit of the second number (1). $$ 3 \times 1 = 3 $$ 3. Finally, multiply the tens digits of both numbers (2 and 1). $$ 2 \times 1 = 2 $$ Therefore, initially, Gabriel should multiply: - The tens digit of $23$ (which is $2$) with the ones digit of $12$ (which is $3$), and - The ones digit of $23$ (which is $3$) with the tens digit of $12$ (which is $1$). These two multiplication steps will help him build the structure of that multiplication. In summary, he should multiply $2 \times 3$ and $3 \times 1$ as his next steps.