Worksheet Solutions: Multiplication Tricks | Mental Maths - Class 1 PDF Download

Q1: Give two reasons to get good at doing math in your head.
Ans: You don't need to carry around a calculator.
It's fun/interesting/strengthening. 

Q2: Give two situations where you might need or want to do math in your head, not with a calculator.
Ans: Answers vary.

Q3: Explain the quick way to multiply by ten.
Ans: Move each digit once to the left.
Fill the last place with a 0. 

Q4: Solve these problems without using a calculator.
(a) 4 x 10
Ans: 40

(b) 15 x 10
Ans: 150

(c) 400 x 10
Ans: 4000

(d) 23 x 10
Ans: 230

(e) 117 x 10
Ans: 1170

Q5: Explain the quick way to multiply a single digit times 9.
Ans:
Subtract 1 from the original number to get the tens digit.
Subtract this tens digit from 9 to get the ones digit.
Double check by adding the digits together to get 9. 

Q6: Solve the following problems without a calculator.
(a) 4 x 9 
Ans: 36

(b) 9 x 9
Ans: 81

(c) 9 x 8 
Ans: 72

(d) 5 x 9
Ans: 45

(e) 7 x 9 
Ans: 63

(f) 9 x 2
Ans: 18

(g) 3 x 9 
Ans: 27

(h) 6 x 9
Ans: 54

Q7: What's the shortcut to multiply an even number by 5?
Ans: Get the tens digit by dividing the number by 2. The ones digit is 0.

Q8: What's the shortcut to multiply an odd number by 5?
Ans: Subtract 1 from the number. Get the tens digit by dividing that answer by 2. The ones digit is 5.

Q9: Solve these problems without a calculator.
(a) 5 x 4
Ans: 20

(b) 5 x 12
Ans: 60

(c) 5 x 19
Ans: 95

(d) 5 x 15
Ans: 75

(e) 5 x 7
Ans: 35

(f) 5 x 20
Ans: 100

(g) 5 x 13
Ans: 65

(h) 5 x 21
Ans: 105

Q10: Don't solve these problems. Instead, check whether each answer could be right or not. Explain your answer.
Example: 4 x 5 = 25
No. An even number x 5 should equal a number that ends in 0.
(a) 11 x 5 = 50
Ans: No. An odd number x 5 should end in 5. 

(b) 3 x 5 = 18 
Ans: No. An odd number x 5 should end in 5.

Q11: Explain the trick about multiplying by 3.
Ans: If you multiply a number by 3, the digits of the answer add up to 3, 6, or 9.

Q12: How might you get “tricked” by this trick?
Ans: If your wrong answer is another multiple of 3, the digits will add up to 3 and you'll

be fooled.

Q13: How do you use an easy problem as a shortcut for a hard one? Write an example that shows how.
Ans: Student examples may vary.
19 x 7 = ?
 20 x 7 = 140
140 – 7 = 133
19 x 7 = 133

Q14: Write an example that shows how to multiply by chunks.
Ans: Student examples may vary.
32 x 8 = ?
30 x 8 = 240
2 x 8 = 16
240 + 16 = 256
32 x 8 = 256

Q15: Solve this problem by using one of the tricks you learned in this lesson. Show your work.
49 x 4
Ans:
49 x 4
50 x 4 = 200
200 – 4 = 196
49 x 4 = 196

Q16: Solve these problems by using one of the tricks. Do them in your head.
(a) 13 x 6
Ans: 78 

(b) 71 x 7
Ans: 497 

(c) 19 x 9 
Ans: 171

Q17: Solve these problems by using one of the tricks you learned in this unit. Show your work.
(a) 11 x 7
Ans:
11 x 7
10 x 7 = 70
1 x 7 = 7
70 + 7 = 77
11 x 7 = 77

(b) 39 x 3
Ans: 
39 x 3
40 x 3 = 120
120 – 3 = 117
39 x 3 = 117

Q18: Solve these problems by using one of the tricks. Do them all in your head.
(a) 9 x 8
Ans: 72

(b) 8 x 5
Ans: 40

(c) 6 x 5
Ans: 30

(e) 3 x 9
Ans: 27

(f) 51 x 4
Ans: 204

(g) 301 x 10
Ans: 3,010 

(h) 7 x 9
Ans: 63

(i) 19 x 7
Ans: 133

Q19: Don't solve these problems. Instead, circle which answers can't be correct. Explain why.
(a) 8 x 5 = 44
Ans:  The answer doesn't end in 5. 

(b) 9 x 6 = 56
Ans: The digits of the answer don't add up to 9. 

(c) 21 x 3 = 61
Ans: The digits of the answer don't add up to 3, 6, or 9. 

(e) 9 x 5 = 55 
Ans: The digits don't add up to 9.