Times Tables: 3s and 4s

Arithmetic · Axiom Academy

LESSON Times Tables: 3s and 4s Expand your multiplication facts with the 3 and 4 times tables — each built from facts you already know. 1. The 3s — Skip Count by Three Every multiplication fact is just repeated addition . To find 3 × n , take n hops of size 3 along the number line. Watch the dot land on each product of the 3s table. The 4s table is the 2s table doubled : since 4 = 2 × 2, every fact 4 × n is just (2 × n ) counted twice. Watch a row of 2s duplicate into a row of 4s. You already know 2 × n — for example 2 × 6 = 12. Adding a second copy doubles the total: 12 + 12 = 24, so 4 × 6 = 24. 4 × n = (2 × 2) × n = 2 × (2 × n) — two groups of the 2s fact. Doubling anything gives an even number, so every 4s product is even. To find 4 × 7: start from 2 × 7 = 14, then double it — 14 + 14 = 28. So 4 × 7 = 28. Two reliable tricks turn these tables from memorization into a quick mental routine — one for the 3s, one for the 4s. Count by 3s: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30. The 4s table is the 2s table doubled. Here's a bonus pattern for the 3s: in every product, the digits add up to 3, 6, or 9. Watch each product's digits collapse to confirm it. Look at the products in the 3s table: their digits always sum to 3, 6, or 9 . That makes a quick way to sanity-check any answer in the 3s. Count by 3 five times: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 . Double 2 × 3 = 6 → 6 + 6 = 12 . Skip count to the 8th term: … 18, 21, 24 . Double 2 × 7 = 14 → 14 + 14 = 28 . Skip count to the 9th term: … 21, 24, 27 .

This is the written version of the interactive lesson above. See the full Arithmetic course.