Patterns in Times Tables
Identify arithmetic patterns (including patterns in the addition table or multiplication table) and explain them using properties of operations
What a learner can do afterwards
- Notice that all products of 5 end in 0 or 5 and explain why
- Observe that the sum of two even numbers is always even
- Identify a pattern in the multiplication table and explain it using commutativity or the distributive property
The lesson
Times tables are full of patterns. Once you notice one, you can explain why it happens using rules you already know, like commutativity and the distributive property.
Look at the multiplication table: 4 x 7 gives 28, and 7 x 4 also gives 28. That's the commutative property. You can swap the order of the two numbers and the answer stays the same. It's why every row and its matching column hold the same numbers.
Even numbers always pair up evenly, with nothing left over. That's why two even numbers added together always make another even number, like 6 + 8 = 14.
Spot the pattern, then explain it with what you know: commutativity, the distributive property, or how evens combine.
Watch it
Where it sits
This opens up
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.