Struggling with the nine times table? Adrian Chiles has a failsafe method that he claims makes nines the easiest of all. Apparently, nines are the hardest for primary school children, but if only they had learned how to cheat like him.
Adrian Chiles on Maths and the Nine Times Table
Maths was never Chiles' strong suit. He enjoyed it at O-level enough to take it at A-level, but early in the course, he realised the subject was beyond him. He couldn't understand the teacher, while other students seemed to grasp it. He wanted certainty and objective truth from maths, but found only grey areas. Times tables, however, he had nailed at an early age. In ascending order of difficulty, he rates them: two, 10, five, 11, three, four, six, eight, seven, and 12. Notice the nine times table is absent—because he found it too easy. He cheated, using a quick trick someone showed him.
Chiles was fascinated to read that in an analysis of primary school children's times table answers, those involving nine were most often wrong. Even former schools minister Nick Gibb refused to attempt 8x9 on live TV. But Chiles insists nines are easy with his cheating method.
The Hand Trick for Nines
Hold your hands up, palms facing you. For 8x9, fold down the eighth digit from the left (the middle finger of your right hand). Count the digits still standing to the left: seven. Count those to the right: two. The answer is 72. This works for every digit up to 10x9. After that, Chiles admits he is stumped and relies on calculators.
Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster, writer, and Guardian columnist.
