Animal Jumps — Comparing Distances and Using a Number Line
Different animals jump different distances. A frog, a flea, a kangaroo, and a rabbit all jump — but by how much? In this chapter we compare these distances, place them on a number line, and use multiplication and division to find patterns.
Number Line
A number line is a straight line where numbers are placed at equal intervals. We can show jumps as repeated addition on a number line.
For example, 3 jumps of 4 m each lands on:
4, 8, 12 — shown as 3 arrows of equal size on the number line.
Repeated Addition and Multiplication
5 jumps of 2 m = 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 5 x 2 = 10 m
This shows multiplication as repeated addition.
Comparing Lengths
To compare distances, make sure units are the same (convert cm to m if needed).
1 m = 100 cm
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A frog jumps 30 cm each time. How far does it go in 6 jumps?
Distance = 6 x 30 = 180 cm = 1.8 m
A kangaroo can jump 8 m in one leap. A rabbit jumps 2 m per leap. How many rabbit leaps equal one kangaroo leap?
8 / 2 = 4 rabbit leaps
On a number line, mark the position after 5 jumps of 3 units each.
5 x 3 = 15. Mark 15 on the number line.
A grasshopper jumps 15 cm and a cricket jumps 10 cm per hop. After 6 hops each, how much farther has the grasshopper gone?
Grasshopper: 90 cm. Cricket: 60 cm. Difference = 30 cm.
A flea jumps 20 cm and a snail moves 5 cm per minute. How many snail-minutes equal one flea jump?
20 / 5 = 4 minutes.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting to convert units — compare cm with cm, m with m.
- Treating repeated addition and multiplication as different operations — they give the same result.
Summary
Jumps = repeated addition = multiplication. Use a number line to visualise. Always use the same units when comparing distances.