Multiplication • Topic 1 of 4

Multiplication Facts

Multiplication is a faster way of adding the same number over and over, which is why teachers introduce it as repeated addition. If three baskets each hold four apples, a young child can add 4 + 4 + 4, but it is quicker to say 3 x 4 = 12. The multiplication facts, the tables from 2 to 20, are simply the answers to these repeated additions stored in memory so a child does not have to add every time. Each table is built by skip counting: the table of 3 goes 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and so on, adding 3 at every step. Knowing these facts fluently frees up a child's attention for the harder thinking in a problem, which is why fluency in tables 2 to 20 is a stated learning outcome for primary classes. CTET, though, cares about more than recall. It tests whether you understand how a child builds these facts, using arrays, skip counting and grouping, rather than pure rote drill. Errors to watch for cluster around the harder tables near 12, 13 and 14, and around carrying once these facts move into multi-digit work.

✅ Solved examples

1. Write 5 x 4 as a repeated addition and find the product.
5 x 4 means 4 added five times: 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 20. So 5 x 4 = 20. (Equally, it can be read as 5 added four times: 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 20.)
2. A child recites the table of 7 and reaches the seventh multiple. What number is it?
The multiples of 7 are 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49. The seventh multiple is 7 x 7 = 49.
3. Using skip counting, find the fourth multiple of 6.
Skip count in sixes: 6, 12, 18, 24. The fourth multiple is 6 x 4 = 24.
4. A teacher arranges 3 rows of dots with 8 dots in each row. How many dots in total, and which fact does this array show?
Rows x columns = 3 x 8 = 24 dots. The array is a visual model of the fact 3 x 8 = 24, showing why the answer is the same as adding 8 three times.

✏️ Practice — try these, take hints as needed

1. Express 6 x 3 as a repeated addition and find the answer.
Add 3 six times, or add 6 three times.
Both give the same product.
6 + 6 + 6 = 18, so 6 x 3 = 18
2. What is the eighth multiple of 9?
Count up in nines: 9, 18, 27...
You need 9 x 8.
72
3. An array has 4 rows and 7 columns. Which multiplication fact does it represent, and what is the total?
Total = rows x columns.
This is the table of 4 or table of 7.
4 x 7 = 28

📝 Topic test — 8 questions

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