Algebra Man

An activity with the hundreds chart

Adapted from
Mr. L’s Math
Tools & Techniques for Math Teachers and Students
This is Algebra Man
When Algebra Man is lying on the
hundreds chart, we add up all the
numbers inside him.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
 13
22
23
24
33
42
43
44
52
+ 54
350
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
 26
35
36
37
46
55
56
57
65
+ 67
480
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
 49
58
59
60
69
78
79
80
88
+ 90
710
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
 53
62
63
64
73
82
83
84
92
+ 94
750
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
 45
54
55
56
65
74
75
76
84
+ 86
670
There’s got to be an easier way!
What if we represented the waist of
Algebra Man as n?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 n 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 54 n-10 56 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 n 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 n-11 n-10 56 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 n 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 n-11 n-10 n-9 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 n 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 n-20 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 n-11 n-10 n-9 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 n 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 n-20 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 n-11 n-10 n-9 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 n 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 74 n+1 76 77 78 79 80
0
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 n-20 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 n-11 n-10 n-9 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 n 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 n+9 n+1 n+1 77 78 79 80

0 1
81 82 83 n+1 85 n+2 87 88 89 90
9 1
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
So, we need to add up all of these numbers:

n+(n-20)+(n-9)+(n-10)+(n-11) +(n+9)+(n+10)+(n+11)+
(n+19)+(n+21)
or
(n+n+n+n+n+n+n+n+n+n)+(9-9)+(10-10)+(11-11)+(19+21-
20)
or
10n+20

So, we can just look at the middle number (n),

multiply it by 10, and then add 20 to the
product.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 10
0

For this example, to get the sum inside Algebra

Man, we simply multiply 73 by 10 (to get 730)
and add 20 (to get 750)
Is there anything special about Algebra Man?
Why not an arrow or a square?

Try some different shapes and see if you can

come up with a formula for each so you don’t
have to actually add up the numbers.
Would these same patterns hold
if we altered the chart by
including negative numbers or
changing the dimensions?
-49 -48 -47 -46 -45 -44 -43 -42 -41 -40

-39 -38 -37 -36 -35 -34 -33 -32 -31 -30

-29 -28 -27 -26 -25 -24 -23 -22 -21 -20

-19 -18 -17 -16 -15 -14 -13 -12 -11 -10

-9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48
49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56
57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72
73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88
89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96
97 98 99 100
SUN MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT

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4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30