Multiplication Problems Printable 5th Grade - Free Printable

Let's solve each of these multiplication problems step by step and identify the "trick" problem that is *not* a multiplication problem.

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1) The cruising speed of a jumbo jet is about 900 km per hour. How far could it travel in 4 hours?

This is a distance = speed × time problem.

$$
900 \text{ km/h} × 4 \text{ h} = 3600 \text{ km}
$$

✔ Multiplication problem.

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2) There are 0.7 mg of iron in an artichoke. How many grams of iron in 6 artichokes?

First, find total milligrams:
$$
0.7 \text{ mg/artichoke} × 6 = 4.2 \text{ mg}
$$

Now convert to grams (since 1 gram = 1000 mg):
$$
4.2 \text{ mg} = \frac{4.2}{1000} = 0.0042 \text{ grams}
$$

But wait — the question asks for grams, so we need to convert units.

Still, the core operation is multiplication (0.7 × 6), then unit conversion.

✔ Multiplication problem (with unit conversion).

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3) A bottle holds 0.8 pints of liquid. How much would 5 bottles hold?

$$
0.8 \text{ pints} × 5 = 4 \text{ pints}
$$

✔ Multiplication problem.

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4) How many seconds in an hour?

This is a unit conversion fact:

- 1 minute = 60 seconds
- 1 hour = 60 minutes
- So: $ 60 × 60 = 3600 $ seconds

But here’s the key: This is not asking you to multiply quantities like "how many times something" — instead, it's asking for a known conversion.

While it *involves* multiplication, the problem itself doesn't require multiplying based on a rate or quantity; it's just recalling or calculating a standard conversion.

However, let's keep going and see if this is the trick one.

Wait — actually, this is still a multiplication (60 × 60), but perhaps it's the one that doesn’t involve real-world scaling?

Let’s check others.

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5) An athletics track is 400m long. If I ran 9 times round the track, how far would that be?

$$
400 \text{ m} × 9 = 3600 \text{ m}
$$

✔ Multiplication problem.

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6) A football weighs 0.9 lb. How much would 6 footballs weigh?

$$
0.9 \text{ lb} × 6 = 5.4 \text{ lb}
$$

✔ Multiplication problem.

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7) 100 sheets of paper are about 5mm thick. How thick is one sheet of paper?

Here, we’re dividing:

$$
\frac{5 \text{ mm}}{100} = 0.05 \text{ mm per sheet}
$$

This is division, not multiplication!

So this is not a multiplication problem.

✘ This is the trick problem!

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8) A pack of pens contains 8 pens. A box contains 20 packets. How many pens in 5 boxes?

Break it down:

- Pens per packet: 8
- Packets per box: 20 → $ 8 × 20 = 160 $ pens per box
- 5 boxes: $ 160 × 5 = 800 $ pens

Or: $ 8 × 20 × 5 = 800 $

✔ Multiplication problem.

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✔ Final Answer:

The trick problem that is not a multiplication problem is:

> 7) 100 sheets of paper are about 5mm thick. How thick is one sheet of paper?

Because this requires division to find the thickness of one sheet:
$$
5 \div 100 = 0.05 \text{ mm}
$$

All other problems involve multiplying quantities (like distance over time, total weight, total volume, etc.).

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🟩 Summary:

| Problem | Type | Multiplication? |
|--------|------|-----------------|
| 1 | Distance = speed × time | ✔ Yes |
| 2 | Total iron = 0.7 mg × 6 | ✔ Yes |
| 3 | Total liquid = 0.8 × 5 | ✔ Yes |
| 4 | Seconds in an hour = 60 × 60 | ✔ Yes (but known fact) |
| 5 | Total distance = 400 × 9 | ✔ Yes |
| 6 | Total weight = 0.9 × 6 | ✔ Yes |
| 7 | Thickness per sheet = 5 ÷ 100 | ✘ No! Division ← Trick problem |
| 8 | Total pens = 8 × 20 × 5 | ✔ Yes |

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✔ Final Answer: Problem #7 is the trick problem — it is not a multiplication problem.