# On multiplication. I never did completely learn my multiplication tables. Some of the number combinations just never clicked for me, and I ended up generating little mental crutches to work around it. ![[on multiplication.png]] In the table above, I can recite the black numbers from memory, without hesitation. I can also typically recall the orange numbers because they’re multiples of five, which seem more memorable to me. However, I have never succeeded in memorizing and recalling the numbers in red. Instead, I go through the following in my head: 4 × 8: "8 and 8 is 16 and 16 is 32”
 6 × 7: “6 times 6 is 36. 37-38-39, 40-41-42” *
 6 × 8: “6 times 6 is 36. 37-38-39, 40-41-42. 43-44-45, 46-47-48.” 7 × 9: “7 times 7 is 49. 50-51-52, 53-54-55, 56” *
 8 × 9: “8 times 8 is 64. 65-66-67-68, 69-70-71-72” * And for 9’s, start with the multiplier, e.g. 6. Subtract one, and get 5. 5 becomes the 10’s digit (“50”). 9 = 5+something (“4”), which becomes the 1’s digit: “54”. Maybe I should make some flash cards and try again. \* Recited silently while imagining the layout of pips on a die ∎