Question

8 this week, ernesto practices playing the piano 3 hours each day for 4 days. how many hours does ernesto practice playing the piano? describe a concrete or visual model that shows the problem.

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the operation

We need to find the total hours practiced, which is the number of hours per day multiplied by the number of days. So we use multiplication: $3 \times 4$.

Step2: Calculate the result

$3 \times 4 = 12$.

Step3: Describe a visual model

We can use a rectangle model (array). Draw 4 rows (representing the 4 days) and 3 columns (representing the 3 hours per day). Each cell in the array represents 1 hour of practice. Counting all the cells (3 + 3 + 3 + 3 or 4 + 4 + 4) will give us the total number of hours, which is 12. Another model could be using counters: place 3 counters for each day, and do this for 4 days. Then count all the counters.

Answer:

Ernesto practices playing the piano for 12 hours.