Multiplication Madness

I still can’t quite figure this one out.

Ben and Pierre were doing some mental math this evening while I made supper. Ben’s been into multiplication facts lately. Grandma and Grandpa bought him a multiplication facts placemat during their last visit, and that was all Ben needed to get the math bug. He loves trying to stump us, or asking us to try and stump him. Let’s just say that I’m more often wrong than my son.

Grand-Mama, Pierre’s mom, would have been very proud. She was a huge proponent of kids gaining strong math skills from an early age. I can still hear her telling me, “Naomi, les mathématiques sont très importants.” (“Naomi, mathematics are very important”). No doubt, she was right.

So this evening, Pierre was quizzing Ben on simple multiplication facts:

“Ben, what’s 6x3?” Pierre asked.

Now, we both knew that Ben had the answer to this one. He’d been asked it before, and had found it on his placemat. Pierre and I expected an easy answer. I should have known better. You just never know what unexpected thing kids are going to say to send your world tilting.

“Well,” Ben replied, “That’s either a six times a three or a three times a six.”

“Right,” Pierre said. “What’s the answer?”

“Okay,” Ben continued. “I’m going to figure it out this way: It’s the same as 9 times 2.” 

Pierre and I looked at each other, then Pierre asked:

“How do you know?”

“I know that 3x3 is 9. And I know that 6 is 2x3. So, that’s how I figured it out.”

Now, I’ve had Ben try to explain his logic to me at least three times, or maybe even three times three (3x3) times! I still don’t get it. But then, math was never my strongest subject.

Pierre understood Ben’s logic. I shouldn’t be surprised. Two peas in a little math pod.

Back to making supper. I think I’ll borrow Ben’s placemat at the table tonight.

xo Naomi