Partition Rectangles

Grade 2 · geometry · 70 practice problems · read aloud

🔊 Listen to this explanation

Partitioning Rectangles 🟦

Partitioning means to split a rectangle into smaller, equal parts called rows and columns. This helps us understand fractions, area, and multiplication!

How to Partition a Rectangle

  1. Count the Rows: Rows go across (left to right).
  2. Count the Columns: Columns go up and down.
  3. Find the Total Squares: Multiply rows × columns.

Let's Try Some Examples!

Example 1: A rectangle has 2 rows and 4 columns.

🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦🟦🟦🟦

Total Squares: 2 × 4 = 8 squares.

Example 2: A rectangle is split into 3 rows and 3 columns.

🟦🟦🟦
🟦🟦🟦
🟦🟦🟦

Total Squares: 3 × 3 = 9 squares.

Watch Out! Common Mistakes

  • Mixing up rows and columns. Remember: rows are like a row of seats, columns are tall like a column in a building.
  • Forgetting to multiply. Don't just add the rows and columns together!

Tips & Tricks

  • Draw it out! Use graph paper or draw dots to help you see the rows and columns.
  • Think of it as an array, like a box of cupcakes.
  • Use your multiplication facts: 2 rows of 5 is 2×5=10.

Time to Practice! ✏️

  • Draw a rectangle with 4 rows and 2 columns. How many squares are there?
  • If a rectangle has 5 rows and 3 columns, what is the total number of squares?
  • Grab some crackers or blocks and make your own rectangles to partition!

Practice problems

6 of the 70, worked through step by step — try them before opening the answer.

1 Mason's rectangle has 8 rows and 12 columns of equal squares. How many squares are there?

Hint: Think about how the total number of squares relates to the number of rows and columns.

Show the answer

Answer: 96

  1. The rectangle has 8 rows of squares.
  2. Each row has 12 squares.
  3. To find the total number of squares, multiply the number of rows by the number of squares in each row: 8 × 12
  4. 8 × 10 = 80
  5. 8 × 2 = 16
  6. 80 + 16 = 96
  7. There are 96 squares in total.

2 A rectangle is divided into 8 rows and 5 columns of equal squares. How many squares are there?

Hint: Think about how you can arrange the squares in rows and columns to cover the rectangle.

Show the answer

Answer: 40

  1. The rectangle has 8 rows of squares.
  2. Each row has 5 squares.
  3. To find the total number of squares, multiply the number of rows by the number of squares in each row: 8 × 5
  4. 8 × 5 = 40

The answer is 40.

3 A rectangle is divided into 9 rows and 7 columns of equal squares. How many squares are there?

Hint: Think about how you can arrange the squares in rows and columns to cover the rectangle.

Show the answer

Answer: 63

  1. The rectangle has 9 rows of squares.
  2. Each row has 7 squares.
  3. To find the total number of squares, multiply the number of rows by the number of squares in each row: 9 × 7
  4. 9 × 7 = 63

The answer is 63.

4 A rectangle is divided into 7 rows and 9 columns of equal squares. How many squares are there?

Hint: Think about how the total number of squares relates to the number of rows and columns.

Show the answer

Answer: 63

  1. The rectangle has 7 rows of squares.
  2. Each row has 9 squares.
  3. To find the total number of squares, multiply the number of rows by the number of squares in each row: 7 × 9
  4. 7 × 9 = 63

The answer is 63.

5 A rectangle is divided into 15 rows and 6 columns of equal squares. How many squares are there?

Hint: Think about how the total number of squares relates to the number of rows and columns.

Show the answer

Answer: 90

  1. The rectangle has 15 rows of squares.
  2. Each row has 6 squares.
  3. To find the total number of squares, multiply the number of rows by the number of squares in each row: 15 × 6
  4. 15 × 6 = 90
  5. There are 90 squares in total.

6 A rectangle is divided into 7 rows and 13 columns of equal squares. How many squares are there?

Hint: Think about how the total number of squares relates to the number of rows and columns.

Show the answer

Answer: 91

  1. The rectangle has 7 rows of squares.
  2. Each row has 13 squares.
  3. To find the total number of squares, multiply the number of rows by the number of squares in each row: 7 × 13
  4. 7 × 10 = 70
  5. 7 × 3 = 21
  6. 70 + 21 = 91
  7. There are 91 squares in total.
Practise this topic — 10 free problems, no signup →