Magic Nines Slides
Grade 3 Math Magic
The Magic Nines!
Three Secret Tricks to Master the 9s Times Table Faster Than a Calculator!
🖐️
Trick #1
The Finger Fold
✨
Trick #2
Up & Down Patterns
⚡
Trick #3
10 & Subtract
Get ready with your hands and a sharp math brain! Let's learn the secrets!
Introduction
Why Is 9 the Most Magical Number?
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Does 9 seem scary?
Many math students think multiplying by 9 is hard because 9 is big. But mathematicians know a secret: 9 is full of sneaky patterns!
Your Secret Power
Once you learn these three tricks, you won't even need to memorize the 9s times table—you can figure out any fact in 3 seconds!
9
The Pattern Champion
9 is just 1 less than 10, which gives it special mathematical superpowers!
⭐ Today's Mission: Master all 3 tricks and pick your personal favorite!
Trick #1
The Magic Finger Trick: Setup
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Hold both hands in front of you with palms facing away from your face!
Number your fingers 1 to 10 starting from your left pinky all the way across.
Left Hand
#1 🖐️ 1
#2 🖐️ 2
#3 🖐️ 3
#4 🖐️ 4
#5 👍 5
Right Hand
#6 👍 6
#7 🖐️ 7
#8 🖐️ 8
#9 🖐️ 9
#10 🖐️ 10
Golden Rule: When you multiply 9 × N, simply fold down finger number N!
Trick #1 Example
Finger Trick: Let's Solve 9 × 4
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Fold down Finger #4 (your left index finger)!
LEFT of Fold = TENS
1
2
3
3 Fingers = 30
FOLDED!
❌ #4
The Divider
RIGHT of Fold = ONES
5
6
7
8
9
10
6 Fingers = 6
3 Tens (3)
6 Ones (6)
=
9 × 4 = 36!
💡 Left side gives tens, right side gives ones. It works every single time!
Try It Together
Let's Try 9 × 7 with Your Fingers!
Slide 5 / 10
1
Fold Finger #7
Count 7 fingers from the left and fold it down!
Folded: Finger 7
2
Count to the Left
How many fingers are standing up to the left of your folded finger?
6 fingers = 6 TENS
3
Count to the Right
How many fingers are standing up to the right of your folded finger?
3 fingers = 3 ONES
Combine Tens and Ones:
6 Tens + 3 Ones = 63!
Trick #2
The Magic Digit Sum: Always 9!
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Add the digits of ANY answer in the 9s table... what do you notice?
9 × 2
18
1 + 8 = 9
9 × 3
27
2 + 7 = 9
9 × 4
36
3 + 6 = 9
9 × 5
45
4 + 5 = 9
9 × 6
54
5 + 4 = 9
9 × 7
63
6 + 3 = 9
9 × 8
72
7 + 2 = 9
9 × 9
81
8 + 1 = 9
9 × 10
90
9 + 0 = 9
✨ Secret Clue: Every multiple of 9 from 1 to 10 has digits that sum to 9!
Trick #2 In Action
Count UP in Tens, Count DOWN in Ones!
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⬆️
Tens Column
Counts UP: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
⬇️
Ones Column
Counts DOWN: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0
Fact Tens ⬆️ Ones ⬇️ Answer
9 × 1 = 0 9 9
9 × 2 = 1 8 18
9 × 3 = 2 7 27
9 × 4 = 3 6 36
9 × 5 = 4 5 45
Fact Tens ⬆️ Ones ⬇️ Answer
9 × 6 = 5 4 54
9 × 7 = 6 3 63
9 × 8 = 7 2 72
9 × 9 = 8 1 81
9 × 10 = 9 0 90
Test Trick: Write 0–9 going down, then 9–0 next to it, and you've written the entire 9s table!
Trick #3
Multiply by 10 and Subtract!
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Multiplying by 10 is easy: Just add a zero to the end!
Since 9 is just 10 - 1, 9 groups of a number is just 10 groups minus 1 group!
Step 1
Multiply by 10
Super fast! Just stick a zero at the end of the number.
➖
Subtract 1 group
Step 2
Subtract the Number
Take away that single number from your 10s total!
The Golden Formula 9 × Number = (10 × Number) - Number
🧠 Mental Math Secret: This is the exact trick that math speed-champions use!
Trick #3 Example
10 & Subtract: Let's Solve 9 × 6
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1 Multiply by 10 first!
Instead of 9 groups of 6, imagine you have 10 groups of 6:
10 × 6 = 60
(That's 1 group too many!)
2 Subtract that extra 6!
Now take away the 1 extra group of 6 from 60:
60 - 6 = 54
Just count backward 6 from 60!
Quick Mental Check:
60 - 6 = 54
➡️ 9 × 6 = 54!
Review & Wrap-Up
Your Magic Nines Toolbox!
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🖐️
Trick 1: Fingers
Fold down finger N.
Left fingers = Tens
Right fingers = Ones
Best when using your hands!
✨
Trick 2: Up & Down
Tens climb up, ones count down!
Tens: 0 ➔ 1 ➔ 2 ➔ 3...
Ones: 9 ➔ 8 ➔ 7 ➔ 6...
Digits always add to 9!
⚡
Trick 3: 10 & Subtract
Times 10, then subtract.
For 9 × 7:
(10 × 7) - 7 = 70 - 7 = 63
Best for lightning mental math!
Turn & Talk: Which trick is YOUR favorite to use?
You're a 9s Wizard! 🧙♂️
