What is Multiplication?
How would you add the following numbers?
6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 =?
I am now going to show you the speed mathematics way of working this out. The first step is to draw
circles under each of the numbers. The problem now looks like this:
8 x 6 =
O O
We now look at each number and ask, how many more do we need to make 10?
We start with the 8. If we have 8, how many more do we need to make 10?
The answer is 2. Eight plus 2 equals 10. We write 2 in the circle below the 8.
We now go to the 6. How many more to make 10? The answer is 4. We write 4 in the circle below the 6.
This is how the problem looks now:
8 x 6 =
(2) x (4)
For the last part of the answer, you ‘times’ the numbers in the circles. What is 2 times 4? Two times 4
means two fours added together. Two fours are 8. Write the 8 as the last part of the answer. The answer is 48.
Easy, wasn’t it? This is much easier than repeating your multiplication tables every day until you
remember them. And this way, it doesn’t matter if you forget the answer, because you can simply work it out again.
