Video:How to Use a Multiplication Chart

Transcript:How to Use a Multiplication Chart

Hi, I'm Jen D'Amore for About.com and this video is all about how to use a multiplication chart.

Rows and Columns Are Multipliers in a Multiplication Chart

The numbers down the left column and across the top row are the numbers that will be multiplied. The numbers that fill up the rest of the chart are the products. Following any two numbers, one from the left column, and one from the top row, until they meet in the middle will give you their product. For example, 4 x 6 is 24.

It doesn't matter which number comes from which side, they'll still have the same product. 6 x 4 is still 24.

Diagonals in a Multiplication Chart Are Square Numbers

The diagonal of the products are all square numbers, since they are the products of each integer, times themselves. 1 x 1, or 1 squared equals 1. 2 x 2, or 2 squared, is 4, 3 x 3, or 3 squared is 9, and so on. Likewise working backwards, you can see what the square root is of the products in the diagonal. The square root of 64 is 8, but remember that only works for that diagonal.

The multiplication chart can be used as a reference to look up products, or completely memorized. It can be left with some blanks to be filled in as an exercise.

Patterns in a Multiplication Chart

It can also be studied for patterns. The first pattern that is usually noticed, is that anything times 10 will have a product that ends in 0. And anything that is multiplied by five will have a product that ends in 0 or 5.

Another pattern is that anything, up to 9, that is multiplied by 11 will have a product that is a repeat of the original number. 11 x 3 is 33, 11x 7 is 77.

Tips for Using a Multiplication Chart

Reading down a column or across a row of the chart helps to understand the pattern of each integer as it multiplies. Looking at the chart overall gives a bigger picture of the relationships between the products and how they increase, as the smallest product is on the upper left, and the largest product is on the lower right.

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