Multiplication

Multiplication Table

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

10

10

10

12

14

16

18

20

12

15

18

21

24

27

30

12

16

20

24

28

32

36

40

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

12

18

24

30

36

42

48

54

60

14

21

28

35

42

49

56

63

70

16

24

32

40

48

56

64

72

80

18

27

36

45

54

63

72

81

90

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

How to Learn
Your life will be a lot easier when you can simply remember the multiplication tables.
So ... train your memory!
First, use the table above to start putting the answers into your memory.
Use it a few times a day for about 5 minutes each, and you will learn your tables.

Tip 1: Order Does Not Matter

When we multiply two numbers, it does not matter which is

first or second, the answer is always the same.

Example: 35=15, and 53=15

Another Example: 29=18, and 92=18

In fact half of the table is a mirror image of the other!

So, don't memorize both "35" and "53", just memorize that "a 3 and a 5 make 15" when
multiplied.
This is very important! It nearly cuts the whole job in half.

Tip 2: Learn the Tables in "Chunks"

It is too hard to put the whole table into your memory at once. So, learn it in "chunks" ...

Start by learning the 5 times table.

Then learn up to 9 times 5.

Is the same as B, except the questions are the other way around. Learn it too.

Lastly learn the "66 to 99" chunk

Then bring it all together by practicing the whole "10 Times Table"

And you will know your 10 Times Table!

(We look at the 12x table below)

Some Patterns
There are some patterns which can help you remember:

2 is just doubling the number. The same as adding the number to itself.
22=4, 23=6, 24=8, etc.
So the pattern is 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20
(And once you remember those, you also know 32, 42, 52, etc., right?)

5 has a pattern: 5, 10, 15, 20, etc. It ends in either 0 or 5.

9 has a pattern, too: 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, 81, 90
Now, notice how the "ones" place goes down: 9,8,7,6, ...? And at the same time, the
"tens" place goes up: 1,2,3,...? Well, your hands can help!
Example: to multiply 9 by 8: hold your 8th finger down, and you can count "7" and
"2" ... the answer is 72

10 is maybe the easiest of them all ... just put a zero after it.
102=20, 103=30, 104=40, etc.

The Hardest Ones

For me the hardest ones are 67=42, 68=48 and 78=56. I often have to say in my mind:

"six sevens are forty-two", "six eights are forty-eight", "seven eights are fifty-six"

What About the 12 Times Table?

Sounds tough, but once you have mastered the 10 table, it is just a few steps away.
Firstly, 11 is mostly easy: from 112 to 119 you just put the two digits
together. 112=22, 113=33, ..., 119=99.

And of course 2, 5 and 10 just follow their simple rules you know already,
so it just leaves these to remember:

312=36,

412=48,

612=72,

712=84,

812=96,

912=108

And the "Big 3":

1111=121,

1112=132 and

1212=144

Some Tips and Tricks

It is best to put the whole table into your memory using Math Trainer - Multiplication, but
here are some tricks that may help you remember your times tables.
Everyone thinks differently, so just ignore any tricks that don't make sense to you.

The Best Trick

Every multiplication has a twin, which may
be easier to remember.
For example if you forget 85, you might
remember 58. This way, you only have to
remember half the table.

Tricks by Number
to
multiply
by

2
5

Trick

add the number to itself (example 29 = 9+9)

the last digit goes 5, 0, 5, 0, ...
is always half of 10 (Example: 5x6 = half of 10x6 = half of 60 = 30)
is half the number times 10 (Example: 5x6 = 10x3 = 30)
when you multiply 6 by an even number, they both end in the same digit.
Example: 62=12, 64=24, 66=36, etc

the last digit goes 9, 8, 7, 6, ...

your hands can help! Example: to multiply 9 by 8, hold your 8th finger down,
and count "7" and "2", the answer is 72
is 10 the number minus the number. Example: 96 = 1066 = 606 = 54
when you add the answer's digits together, you get 9.

10
11

12

Example: 95=45 and 4+5=9. (But not with 911=99)

put a zero after it
up to 9x11: just repeat the digit (Example: 4x11 = 44)
for 10x11 to 18x11: write the sum of the digits between the digits
Example: 15x11 = 1(1+5)5 = 165
Note: this works for any two-digit number, but when the sum of the digits is
more than 9, we need to"carry the one". Example: 75x11 = 7(7+5)5 = 7(12)5
= 825.
is 10 plus 2

Remembering Squares Can Help

This may not work for you, but it worked for me. I like remembering the squares (where you
multiply a number by itself):
11=1

22=4

33=9

44=16

55=25

66=36

77=49

88=64

99=81

1010=100

1111=121

1212=144

And this gives us one more trick. When the numbers we are multiplying are separated by 2
(example 7 and 5), then multiply the number in the middle by itself and subtract one. See
this:
55 = 25 is just one bigger than 64 = 24
66 = 36 is just one bigger than 75 = 35
77 = 49 is just one bigger than 86 = 48
88 = 64 is just one bigger than 97 = 63
etc ...

Multiplying By Zero
When we multiply by zero , the answer is ... zero.

Example: 12 0 = 0
Also when the zero is in the front of the multiplication:

Example: 0 5 = 0
Or in the middle:

Example: 6 0 7 = 0
Which can make some things easier!

Example: What is 5 11 9 2 0 5 15 25 ?
Did you see the 0 in there?
So the whole answer is 0, no need to do the other multiplications
Answer: 5 11 9 2 0 5 15 25 = 0
But don't get carried away, this only works for multiplies, not adds or subtracts:

Example: What is 5 0 + 2 5 ?
The first part is 5 0 which equals 0
But we still have to do the second part, which is 2 5 = 10
So the whole answer is:
5 0 + 2 5 = 0 + 10 = 10

Multiplying Negatives

When We Multiply:
Example

two positives make a positive:

32=6

two negatives make a positive:

(3) (2) = 6

a negative and a positive

make a negative:

(3) 2 = 6

a positive and a negative

make a negative:

3 (2) = 6

Yes indeed, two negatives make a positive, and we will explain why, with examples!

Signs
Let's talk about signs.
"+" is the positive sign, "" is the negative sign.
When a number has no sign it usually means that it is positive.
Example: 5 is really +5
And we can put () around the numbers to avoid confusion.
Example: 3 2 can be written as 3 (2)

Two Signs: The Rules

"Two like signs make a positive
sign,
two unlike signs make a negative
sign"

Example: (2) (+5)

The signs are and + (a negative sign and a positive sign), so they are unlike signs(they
are different to each other)
So the result must be negative:

(2) (+5) = -10

Example: (4) (3)

The signs are and (they are both negative signs), so they are like signs (like each
other)
So the result must be positive:

(4) (3) = +12

Why does multiplying two negative numbers make a positive?

Well, first there is the "common sense" explanation:
When I say "Eat!" I am encouraging you to eat (positive)
But when I say "Do not eat!" I am saying the opposite (negative).

Now if I say "Do NOT not eat!", I am saying I don't want you to starve, so I am back to
saying "Eat!" (positive).
So, two negatives make a positive, and if that satisfies you, then you don't need to read any
more.

Direction
It is all about direction. Remember the Number Line?

Well here we have Baby Steven taking his first steps. He takes 2 paces at a time, and does
this three times, so he moves 2 steps x 3 = 6 steps forward:

Now, Baby Steven can also step backwards (he is a clever little guy). His Dad puts him
back at the start and then Steven steps backwards 2 steps, and does this three times:

Once again Steven's Dad puts him back at the start, but facing the other way. Steven takes
2 steps forward (for him!) but he is heading in the negative direction. He does this 3 times:

Back at the start again (thanks Dad!), still facing in the negative direction, he tries his
backwards walking, once again taking two steps at a time, and he does this three times:

So, by walking backwards, while facing in the negative direction, he moves in the positive
direction.

Try it yourself! Try walking forwards and backwards, then again but
facing the other direction.

More Examples
Example: Money
Imagine you owe Sam money.
Then Sam takes $10 of that debt away from you 3 times ... the same as giving you $30.

That is $10 ($10 of debt) taken away 3 times (3):

$10 3 = +$30

Example: Tank Levels Rising/Falling

The tank has 30,000 liters, and 1,000 liters are taken out every day. What was the amount
of water in the tank 3 days ago?
We know the amount of water in the tank changes by 1,000 every day, and we need to
subtract that 3 times (to go back 3 days), so the change is:
3 1,000 = +3,000
The full calculation is:
30,000 + (3 1,000) = 30,000 + 3,000 = 33,000
So 3 days ago there were 33,000 liters of water in the tank.

Multiplication Table
Here is another way of looking at it.
Start with the multiplication table (just up to 44 will do):

1
1

2
2

3
3

4
4

12

12 16

Now see what happens when we head into negatives!

Let's go backwards through zero:


-4

1
-4

2
3
4
-8 -12 -16

-3

-3

-6

-9

-12

-2

-2

-4

-6

-8

-1

-1

-2

-3

-4

12

12

16

Look at the "4" column: it goes -16, -12, -8, -4, 0, 4, 8, 12, 16. Getting 4 larger each time.
Look over that table again, make sure you are comfortable with how it works, because ...
... now we go further to the left, through zero:

-4

-4
16

-3
12

-2
8

-1
4

0
0

1
-4

2
3
4
-8 -12 -16

-3

12

-3

-6

-9

-12

-2

-2

-4

-6

-8

-1

-1

-2

-3

-4

-4

-3

-2

-1

-8

-6

-4

-2

-12

-9

-6

-3

12

-16 -12

-8

-4

12

16

Same pattern: we can follow along a row (or column) and the values change consistently:

Follow the "4" row along: it goes -16, -12, -8, -4, 0, 4, 8, 12, 16. Getting 4 larger each
time.

Follow the "-4" row along: it goes 16, 12, 8, 4, 0, -4, -8, -12, -16. Getting 4 smaller each
time.

etc...

So it all follows a neat pattern!

What About Multiplying 3 or More Numbers Together?

Multiply two at a time and follow the rules.

Example: What is (2) (3) (4) ?

First multiply (2) (3). Two like signs make a positive sign, so:
(2) (3) = +6
Next multiply +6 (4). Two unlike signs make a negative sign, so:
+6 (4) = -24
Result: (2) (3) (4) = 24