Interactive Physical Number line

thingiverse

This is an object I'm certain can help many teachers when teaching math. It is a number line. It comes with one main body and two extensions on each side (you don't have to print them off), it also includes the attachments from 1-10 which you also can print off as many as you need. How to use it is in the instructions. When I was a kid I always had trouble with grasping the concept of integers. I couldn't understand that you could take away ten from two. And no matter how hard my teacher tried she couldn't get the majority of the class to comprehend subtracting negative numbers let alone multiplying and dividing. That is until our teacher started using number lines. A number line can be used by all math students. To young kids it teaches addition and subtraction; to slightly older kids it can teach multiplication and division; and finally to more advanced kids it can teach adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing integers. I believe this tool will help teachers substantially all through their years of teaching. The design can very easily be expanded to a number range much greater than the current -50 to +50 and I will work on it and have it up in a matter days. Then the upgrades just slide into the current extension. It is advanced yet straight forward leaves the field open for innovations and adjustments even though it is perfectly fine "out of the box". I'm very sorry for the bad pictures I couldn't get any good ones. I've also attached some work sheets to solve with the number line. Instructions To 3d print just print it at 100% and whatever quality you want. It sounds very complicated but it really is very simple. Please look at the pictures for reference. Here is how to use it: Addition: Find the # closest to 0 in the equation and grab the attachment for it. eg. for -2+20 you would grab the "2" attachment Put the left side (right side if the number closer to zero is negative ) of the attachment on the other number eg. for -2+20 you would put the right side of the attachment on twenty Look at the opposite side of the attachment and there is your answer. Subtraction: Find the first number and grab the attachment for it. eg. for 6-4 you would grab the "6" attachment Put the right side (left side if the number closer to zero is negative ) of the attachment on the other number eg. for 6-4 you would put the right side on 4 Look at the opposite side of the attachment and there is your answer. Multiplication: Choose either number and grab an attachment for it. Bigger usually works better. Put the left side (right side if the number you chose is negative) on zero and take as many attachments as the other number and put them simultaneously next to each other. (go left if negative) 3.Look at the opposite side of the attachment and there is your answer. Division: Find the first number and grab the attachment for it. eg. for 6-4 you would grab the "6" attachment Put the left side (right side if the other number is negative) on zero and put them simultaneously next to each other until you reach your second number. (go left if negative) Count how many attachments it took to reach the second number (not the last one if it went over but count how much it went over by and that will be your remainder) and there is your answer. I've also attached some work sheets to solve with the number line.