Multiplication Facts: 7, 8, and 9

Learning the multiplication facts for 7, 8, and 9 is often the final step to mastering your single-digit multiplication table! Since you already know your 1s through 6s, you actually know most of these already thanks to the rule that order doesn't matter in multiplication (for example, $7 \times 5$ is exactly the same as $5 \times 7$).

Let's look at some helpful tricks for the remaining facts.

The Magic of the 9s

Multiplying by 9 has a fun, built-in pattern that makes it one of the easiest facts to remember.

1. The First Digit: The first digit of your answer is always one less than the number you are multiplying by 9.
2. The Sum to 9: The two digits of your answer will always add up to 9!

Example: Let's solve $9 \times 7$.

• Take the number you are multiplying by 9 (which is 7) and subtract 1: $7 - 1 = 6$. So, the first digit is $6$.
• What plus 6 equals 9? $6 + 3 = 9$. So, the second digit is $3$.
• Put them together and the answer is $63$!

Tricks for 7s and 8s

The 7s and 8s can seem tough, but there are easy memory tricks to help you out.

• The 5-6-7-8 Trick: If you ever forget $7 \times 8$, just count in order! $5, 6, 7, 8$ means that $56 = 7 \times 8$.
• Double, Double, Double for 8s: To multiply any number by 8, you can just double it three times. For example, to find $8 \times 6$:
  • Double 6 is 12.
  • Double 12 is 24.
  • Double 24 is 48.
  • So, $8 \times 6 = 48$.

Practice Examples

Let's practice with a few common problems:

• $7 \times 8 = 56$ (Remember the counting trick: 5, 6, 7, 8!)
• $9 \times 6 = 54$ (Check the 9s trick: $5 + 4 = 9$)
• $8 \times 9 = 72$ (Check the 9s trick: $7 + 2 = 9$)