# table of multiplication up to 12

## Primary tabs

Major Section:
Reference
Type of Math Object:
Data Structure

## Mathematics Subject Classification

### Foreseeable comments for the basic arithmetic tables up to 1...

Q: Why go up to 12? Why not stop at 10?
A: I suppose it just goes to show how old I am.

Q: Why put rows and columns for 1 in the multiplication and division tables? Aren't they just duplicates of the 'zeroeth' rows and columns?
A: They are in fact almost the same thing. But I wanted those tables to look to be about the same size as those for addition and subtraction.

Q: May I suggest a better way for handling precision in the division table while not making the table too much larger?
A: Please do. I'll be grateful for it.

Q: May I point out a mistake in the x operator y cell?
A: Please. I'll also be grateful for it. I did all these tables without the aid of a calculator, so it's possible I've screwed up somewhere.

Q: What about those examples for Conway's game of life?
A: Postponed another day.

### Re: Foreseeable comments for the basic arithmetic tables up ...

Q: What is the probability that one of these entries will be of any use to anyone at all?
A: 0?

### Re: Foreseeable comments for the basic arithmetic tables up ...

Maybe you find them useless, but I am quite sure that they will
prove of use to schoolchildren and their teachers and parents.
Just because you have long outgrown the stage where you learned
arithemetic and pored over times tables doesn't mean that other
people arn't at that stage and they might appreciate finding PM
entries which cater to their level of mathematical development.

Let me add that I am quite glad to see these entries appearing.
One of the many weak areas of PM coverage has been elementary
mathematics, especially elemenatary mathematics written in a way
which is accessible to beginners. Not only should this area be
covered in its own right, but good coverage of this area would
be of economic benefit. It could lead to increase use of the
collection by students, teachers, and parents and this, in turn,
could lead to increased donations --- if you look at the
comments on the Wikimedia donors page, you will see that a
significant part of the donations came from parents who were
grateful for the role Wikipedia had in helping educate their
children and wanted to see such a resource not only not
disappear, but grow in usefulness. Even if you don't give a
turkey's tailfeather about elementary school stuff, you might
care about the indirect effects of the increased traffic and
donations in funding improvemnts to the platform which make it

### Re: Foreseeable comments for the basic arithmetic tables up ...

I agree with Ray here. I don't really see multiplication tables as terribly educational (sorry Ray) but I don't have a problem with their inclusion in an encyclopedia -- my desk copy of a math encyclopedia has a huge appendix filled with similar tables, such as all primes less than 10,000, oodles of digits of e and pi, etc. It is just data of a mathematical nature. With the ability to search the database, it don't think adding such entries makes it harder to get to what you might
think of as the "useful entries."

Ultimately it is a little disappointing at times to include an entry and then get lambasted by attached comments concerning the "validity" of the entry. It is too bad these comments aren't being made on forums etc. so that random visitors to the site don't feel like they have to wade through the internal politics of PM contributors. If there really is an issue with an article, why not post a correction or e-mail the author?

### Re: Foreseeable comments for the basic arithmetic tables up ...

> I don't really see multiplication tables as terribly
> educational (sorry Ray)

My point is not whether I find them terrbily educational. (As it
so happens, I don't either). Rather, a lot of people, including a
sizable number of elementary school teachers, do consider them
educational and teach them, so there is demand for this material
here. If the parent of a second grader goes to PM looking for
material to help a child with math homework, one of the things
they might very well be interested in finding are times tables
along with some explanataion how to use them.