Mnemonic device

Multiplication of 9 times any number from 1 to 10

To multiply by 9, hold your hands palms down in front of you. Then, fold down the finger (counting from the left pinky to the right pinky) of the number to be multiplied by 9. The fingers to the left of the folded down one will give you the number of tens. The fingers to the right of the folded down one will give you the number of ones.

Explanation

Two hands with the 4th finger from the left folded down, showing 9 x 4 = 36

This is a learning trick to help you learn and remember your multiplication facts when multiplying 9 times (x) any number from 1 to 10. For example, to find 9 x 4, fold down the 4th finger from the left: 3 fingers remain to its left (the tens digit) and 6 fingers remain to its right (the ones digit), giving 36.

There's also a neat pattern in the answers themselves: see The Rule of Nines for why the two digits of any 9-times answer always add up to 9.

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Multiplication of 9 times any number from 1 to 10

Explanation

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