Modeling 'More Than' Problems with Tape Diagrams
This Grade 4 Eureka Math skill teaches students to model word problems where one quantity is more than another using two-tape diagrams. The first tape represents the smaller known quantity. The second tape is drawn longer, composed of a section equal to the first tape plus an additional section representing the extra amount. For example, a farmer harvested 3,450 apples and 1,200 more pears than apples: the apples tape shows 3,450, the pears tape shows 3,450 + 1,200 = 4,650. Total fruit = 3,450 + 4,650 = 8,100. This visual strategy is in Chapter 4 of Eureka Math Grade 4.
Key Concepts
To model a comparative word problem where one quantity is 'more than' another, use two tapes. The first tape represents the known, smaller quantity. The second tape is drawn longer and is composed of two parts: a section equal to the first tape, plus an additional section representing the 'more than' amount. The total is the sum of both full tapes.
Common Questions
How do you draw a tape diagram for a more than problem?
Draw a tape for the smaller quantity. Draw a second tape that is longer: the first part matches the smaller quantity, and the extra section equals the more than amount.
A farmer harvested 3,450 apples and 1,200 more pears. How many pears?
Pears = 3,450 + 1,200 = 4,650. Draw the pears tape with a 3,450 section (matching apples) plus an additional 1,200 section.
How do you find the total fruit in the apples and pears problem?
3,450 apples + 4,650 pears = 8,100 pieces of fruit in total.
What two sections make up the longer tape in a more than diagram?
The longer tape has a section equal to the reference quantity (the smaller amount) and an extra section equal to the additional amount (the more than value).
How does this tape diagram model the equation?
The total length of the second tape equals the shorter tape plus the difference. This directly represents the equation: pears = apples + 1,200.