Base ten block
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Base ten blocks are a tool to help students learn concepts in mathematics such as arithmetic and place value.[1]
They are also known as multibase arithmetic blocks (MABs) or Dienes blocks after the Hungarian mathematician Zoltán Pál Dienes, who told others about using them. Originally they were recommended for several several number bases (two, three, etc.) but today only the base ten blocks are in widespread use.[2][3]
Base ten blocks were first described by Catherine Stern in 1949,[4]
Use
These blocks come in four different sizes and represent different values.
- Units represent ones
- Rods represent tens
- Flats represent hundreds
- Cubes represent thousands
Different sizes are used to make up a number. For example, 593 is made up of 5 flats (500), 9 rods (90), and 3 units (3). Addition and subtraction can be learned by adding or taking away blocks.
Base Ten Block Media
The number 328 represented in base ten blocks
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References
- ↑ Van de Walle, John (2008). Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally, p. 191. Pearson Education Inc. USA. ISBN 0-205-57352-5
- ↑ Dienes, Zoltán Pál (1960). Building Up Mathematics. London: Hutchinson. Dienes, Zoltán Pál (1963). An Experimental Study of Mathematics Learning. London: Hutchinson.
- ↑ Kim, Rina; Albert, Lillie R. (2014). "The history of base-ten-blocks: Why and who made base-ten-blocks". Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences. 5 (9): 356–365. doi:10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n9p356.
- ↑ Stern, Catherine (1949). Children Discover Arithmetic. Harper & Row. (Revised edition, 1971, with Margaret Stern.)