2 Times Table
Every fact in the 2 times table, the patterns that make it easier, and practice that keeps coming back to the ones you miss.
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Answers
2 × 8
16
2 rows of 8, or 8 rows of 2: both make 16.
- Turned round
- 8 × 2 = 16
- As division
- 16 ÷ 2 = 8
How this works: Method, 4 sources,
How this works
Method
The 2 times table is doubling. Two lots of 7 is 7 + 7 = 14, two lots of 12 is 12 + 12 = 24, and any number you can add to itself you can multiply by 2. Full method
Sources
- Department for Education, National curriculum in England: mathematics programmes of study (2013)
- Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Grade 3, 3.OA.C.7 (2010)
- Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Grade 3 (3.OA.B.5, 3.OA.C.7) (2010)
- Standards and Testing Agency, Multiplication tables check assessment framework (updated March 2022, 2018)
Changes
- First published: the chart from 1–10 to 1–20, practice with progress for each person, printable charts and sheets, the 2 to 12 tables and check practice.
Patterns and tricks in the 2 times table
The 2 times table is doubling. Two lots of 7 is 7 + 7 = 14, two lots of 12 is 12 + 12 = 24, and any number you can add to itself you can multiply by 2.
Every answer is even, and the last digits run 2, 4, 6, 8, 0 and then start again: 2 × 6 = 12 ends in 2 just as 2 × 1 = 2 does, and 2 × 9 = 18 ends in 8 like 2 × 4 = 8. Seeing that cycle makes a slip like 2 × 8 = 15 stand out at once, because no double can be odd.
Doubling is the step most other tables are built from. Double a 2-table answer to get the 4 table (2 × 7 = 14, so 4 × 7 = 28), and double once more for the 8 table (8 × 7 = 56). Halving undoes all of it: 18 ÷ 2 = 9.
2 × n = n + n
- In England, pupils learn to recall and use the 2, 5 and 10 multiplication tables in year 2 (age 6 to 7). Source: Department for Education, National curriculum in England: mathematics programmes of study (2013).
- In the US, the Common Core expects students to know all products of two one-digit numbers from memory by the end of grade 3. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Grade 3, 3.OA.C.7 (2010).
The 2 times table, × 1 to × 20
The even numbers in order; the division column is halving.
| Fact | Answer | Turned round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 × 1 | 2 | 1 × 2 | 2 ÷ 2 = 1 |
| 2 × 2 | 4 | 2 × 2 | 4 ÷ 2 = 2 |
| 2 × 3 | 6 | 3 × 2 | 6 ÷ 2 = 3 |
| 2 × 4 | 8 | 4 × 2 | 8 ÷ 2 = 4 |
| 2 × 5 | 10 | 5 × 2 | 10 ÷ 2 = 5 |
| 2 × 6 | 12 | 6 × 2 | 12 ÷ 2 = 6 |
| 2 × 7 | 14 | 7 × 2 | 14 ÷ 2 = 7 |
| 2 × 8 | 16 | 8 × 2 | 16 ÷ 2 = 8 |
| 2 × 9 | 18 | 9 × 2 | 18 ÷ 2 = 9 |
| 2 × 10 | 20 | 10 × 2 | 20 ÷ 2 = 10 |
Show all 20 rowsShow fewer
| 2 × 11 | 22 | 11 × 2 | 22 ÷ 2 = 11 |
| 2 × 12 | 24 | 12 × 2 | 24 ÷ 2 = 12 |
| 2 × 13 | 26 | 13 × 2 | 26 ÷ 2 = 13 |
| 2 × 14 | 28 | 14 × 2 | 28 ÷ 2 = 14 |
| 2 × 15 | 30 | 15 × 2 | 30 ÷ 2 = 15 |
| 2 × 16 | 32 | 16 × 2 | 32 ÷ 2 = 16 |
| 2 × 17 | 34 | 17 × 2 | 34 ÷ 2 = 17 |
| 2 × 18 | 36 | 18 × 2 | 36 ÷ 2 = 18 |
| 2 × 19 | 38 | 19 × 2 | 38 ÷ 2 = 19 |
| 2 × 20 | 40 | 20 × 2 | 40 ÷ 2 = 20 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 2 times table up to 12?
2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24. Each answer is 2 more than the one before, and each is a number doubled: 2 × 11 = 22 is 11 + 11.
How do I double a bigger number in my head?
Split it into tens and ones and double each part: double 37 is double 30 plus double 7, 60 + 14 = 74. The same works for money, as in double £4.60 = £8 + £1.20 = £9.20.
Why is every answer in the 2 times table even?
An even number is exactly one that splits into two equal whole halves, and 2 × n is two equal parts of n by definition. So the 2 table lists the even numbers in order, and only them.