Base Blocks Addition
Base blocks consist of individual "units," "longs," "flats," and "blocks" (ten of each set for base 10). They can be used to show place value for numbers and to increase understanding of addition and subtraction.
When this virtual manipulative first loads, you are asked to complete an addition problem using base blocks. Click the button to obtain a new exercise. The addition of the blocks is accomplished by using the grouping procedure described below.
Exchanging and grouping pieces
You may drag a base block into a column to the left or back to its appropriate column, but when you move a block one column to the right, it breaks apart to show that you have made an Exchange (as, for example, a 10-long is exchanged for ten units, or a 5-flat is exchanged for five 5-longs). To group pieces to make an exchange the other direction, click and hold the mouse key down while dragging a rectangle to "lasso" the pieces. Thus, in base 5, you can "lasso" five units to make a long piece or you can lasso five flats to make a block. The newly grouped object can then be dragged into the next column.
To change the default setting (base 10), first click . Then you can click the up or down arrow buttons to change the base. You can work with base blocks for any of the bases 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10. All problems and numbers will be represented in the base shown.
You can build and solve your own addition problem with this virtual manipulative. Click and then use the blue buttons at the top to enter blocks above and below the dashed line. As long as you have two numbers correctly represented in the specified base, the addition problem will appear on the right. To solve it, click .