What Does ‘Multiplication Tables’ Mean?
In mathematics, multiplication tables, also called times tables, give us the multiples of numbers. Having a proper knowledge of multiplication tables helps us solve math problems in an easy manner. We can obtain a multiplication table of any number by multiplying it with a set of natural numbers. Now without any delay, let’s start learning the times tables from 1 to 20, one after the other.
Key Points to remember
- The square of an integer is obtained by multiplying it by itself.
- If you have any blockers while doing multiplication problems, here is a simple trick. Any number added to itself n times is the same as the number multiplied by n. For instance, adding 3 to itself 3 times or multiplying it by 3 both result in 9.
Rapid Recall
Solved Examples
Example 1:
Lara is hosting a party at her home and she has invited 15 of her friends. To make the party more special, Lara decides to bake butterscotch, choco-chip, and strawberry cookies to offer as a thank-you gift to her friends. How many cookies does Lara need to bake in total, so that all the guests will get one each of each type of cookie?
Solution:
As stated, the number of persons attending Lara’s party = 15
There are 3 types of cookies. Each thank-you gift would contain 1 cookie of each type.
Therefore, the number of cookies each thank-you gift should have = 3 \(\times\) 1 = 3
In order to find the total number of cookies Lara needs to bake, we should multiply the number of persons coming to the party with the number of cookies that each person should receive = 15 \(\times\) 3 = 45
Therefore, Lara needs to bake 45 cookies for the thank-you gifts.
Example 2:
“Everytime a number is multiplied by another number, the product will be the same irrespective of the order they are multiplied”. Support the given statement with the help of an example.
Solution:
To support the given statement, let’s take an example, 4 \(\times\) 5 and 5 \(\times\) 4 in terms of repeated addition means that, either adding 4 for 5 times or adding 5 for 4 times.
Firstly, add up 4 for 5 times, that is 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 20
Secondly, now let’s add 5 for 4 times, that is 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 20
Since, it is clearly visible that both the equations have the same result irrespective of their order, that is 20.
Hence, the given statement is proven to be true.
Example 3:
Jacob went to a comic book store to buy some comics. He spent $20 for 10 books, each costing the same. So, what would be the cost of an individual book?
Solution:
Given, total number of books Jacob bought are 10 for $20
Each book is of the same cost. Let ‘C’ be the cost of each book.
Now, we can find the cost of each book as = C \(\times\) 10 = $ 20
= \(\frac{$20}{10}\)
= $ 2
Hence, Jacob purchased each book for $2.
Learning the times tables improves problem-solving skills and makes it easier for us to solve math problems quickly in our minds.
We use multiplication tables in many instances like calculating the cost of items purchased, measuring length, identifying the population of a city, and so on.
One of the most effective strategies to memorize multiplication tables is repeated addition. When a number is multiplied by another number, it denotes that the number has been added to itself by as many times as the other number.