Skip to main content
Times table fluency
Lesson 5 of 10

Doubling to build tables

Objective. Derive the 4 and 8 times tables from the 2 times table.

The key idea

Doubling twice multiplies by 4; doubling three times multiplies by 8. So 7 × 8 is 7 doubled to 14, to 28, to 56.

Worked example

Work out 7 × 8 by doubling.

Array of 7 rows by 8 columns
  1. 17 × 2 = 14.
  2. 214 × 2 = 28 (that is 7 × 4).
  3. 328 × 2 = 56 (that is 7 × 8).

Answer: 56

Practice

Each question comes with a picture and a listen button. Try it first, then reveal the answer.

Common mistake. Doubling only twice when multiplying by 8.

Your progress

Tick each step as you finish it — Continue brings you back here.

0 of 5 steps complete

My dashboard