Algebraic Expression of the Binomial Cube (Montessori Elementary Math)

[@Ri-ct6od]

I picked up Math pretty quick in school. Was not the best but I pass all my tests. It was not my favorite subject because teachers never presented it in a concrete way in traditional schools, but the binomial cube of Montessori messes with me. Its making me dumb if Im honest lol. Thanks for the vid tho. I liked it regardless of how its made me feel dumb.

[@rajnijelinek1469]

Children should understand this... I'm an adult and I'm confused with all the A's and b's

[@barbarabarton7779]

This is not a first or even 2nd or 3rd step. The preschoolers do this solely as a sensorial experience.

[@patricialim6816]

Those confused with the representations, I just realized it is the formula for the area of the cubes… but someone correct me if I’m wrong

[@shaheraabdelmalak7964]

thankth

[@lindasmith5467]

but here's the thing that no math teacher ever approaches: ****** WHY ****** is b²a, "b²a?" Is "a" not representing the red side? yet there is no red side on the blue and black cube so why is the blue and black cube "b²a?"

[@paulcarson7860]

Hi Linda, the a is not representing the red side in particular. It is representing the length. If you compare the lengths you'll see they are the same. So the side of the square is the same as the black side of the b^2*a cuboid. (Btw this should really be ab^2, as we write in alphabetical order.) Hope that helps, let me know.

[@HobbiesTradesPassions]

b²a is not a separate thing, it is part of the same cube. You know it is the blue side because it has "b²". The "a" comes from the fact that it has the height of the red side, a fact that the children knows from sensorial exploration.