The Transport Museum — Class 4 Mathematics (CBSE)
From the current NCERT Maths Mela Grade 4 book, Chapter 13. Buses, trains, and tickets make multiplication and division come alive.
1. Why this chapter matters
Trips and tickets need multiplication (seats on many buses) and division (sharing passengers into groups). Learning tables to 20, multiplying by 10, 100, and dividing with remainders prepares us for real travel and money problems.
2. Core ideas
Idea 1 — Multiply larger numbers
Learn tables up to 20. To multiply by 10, write a 0 at the end (23 × 10 = 230); by 100, write two 0s (23 × 100 = 2300).
Method 2 — Split numbers to multiply
Break a number to multiply easily: 12 × 4 = (10 × 4) + (2 × 4) = 40 + 8 = 48.
Skill 3 — Division with and without remainders
Sometimes sharing is exact (20 ÷ 5 = 4). Sometimes there is a remainder (17 ÷ 5 = 3 remainder 2).
3. Worked examples
Example 1: 13 × 4 = ?
13 × 4 = (10 × 4) + (3 × 4) = 40 + 12 = 52.
Example 2: A train has 6 coaches with 50 seats each. How many seats?
6 × 50 = 300 seats.
Example 3: 17 children sit 5 to a bench. How many benches, and how many left over?
17 ÷ 5 = 3 benches with 2 children left over (remainder 2).
4. Activity corner
Pretend to run a bus. Decide the seats per bus and how many buses, and find the total seats (multiply). Then share a number of passengers into equal groups and find any remainder. Write:
- Your multiplication (buses × seats)
- Your division with its remainder
- The maths idea (multiply for totals, divide to share)
5. Common mistakes
- Mistake: Adding a zero in the wrong place when multiplying by 10. Fix: 23 × 10 = 230 — put the 0 at the end.
- Mistake: Ignoring the remainder. Fix: If sharing is not exact, write the remainder (17 ÷ 5 = 3 r 2).
- Mistake: Mixing up multiplication and division in word problems. Fix: Many equal groups → multiply; sharing a total → divide.
6. How to write better answers
- Decide multiply (equal groups) or divide (sharing).
- Use tables, splitting, or ×10/×100 to calculate.
- For division, show the quotient and any remainder.
- Write the answer with its meaning (seats, benches…).
7. Practice set
- Find 12 × 6.
- Multiply 34 × 10.
- Multiply 8 × 100.
- A bus has 40 seats. How many seats in 5 buses?
- Divide 19 by 4. Give the quotient and remainder.
- Split to multiply: 14 × 5.
8. Answer key
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- 5 × 40 = 200 seats.
- 19 ÷ 4 = 4 remainder 3.
- 14 × 5 = (10 × 5) + (4 × 5) = 50 + 20 = 70.
9. Quick revision
- Learn tables up to 20.
- ×10 adds one zero; ×100 adds two zeros.
- Split numbers to multiply easily (12 × 4 = 40 + 8).
- Division can be exact or leave a remainder (17 ÷ 5 = 3 r 2).
- Multiply for totals; divide to share.
