What is a Concept Maths ? - Lesson & Quiz

Definition of Concept Maths 

A concept maths  is the 'why' or 'big idea' of math. It is why addition works the way it does and why multiplication does what it does. Knowing a math concept means you know the workings behind the answer. You know why you got the answer you got and you don't have to memorize answers or formulas to figure them out. Because you know why things work, you can figure out the answers and formulas yourself. You understand answers and formulas better and can tell when something isn't quite right. When you understand a math concept, you have essentially reached an upper tier in math that allows you to think and process abstractly. This takes us to the difference between a math concept and a math fact.

Math Fact

A math fact is something that needs to be memorized or written down. For example, the multiplication and addition tables are math facts because they tell you that 1+1=2 and that 2*2=4. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about them. Knowing a math fact allows you to recall the information when you need it like for a test. However, if you were given a problem that is similar but uses different numbers, then you wouldn't be able to do the problem because you only know the fact and not the concept behind it. You don't know how the problem works so you can't solve it because the facts you know don't include that specific problem.

Concept Maths vs. Math Fact

Let's compare a few math concepts and math facts.

1. Counting. The concept maths for counting tells you that you start at a number and incrementally go up. You can choose your increment to suit your needs. The math fact for counting gives you the number line of 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.

2. Addition. The concept maths of addition tells you to gather 2 quantities or numbers together and get their total. The math fact is the addition table that tells you 1+1=2, 1+2=3, etc.

3. Multiplication. The concept maths of multiplication tells you to get the total of a certain number or quantity that has been copied or cloned so many times. The math fact is the multiplication table.

4. Division. The concept maths tells you that to divide means to split fairly. The math fact is the division table or the reverse multiplication table.