Learning math doesn’t have to be a chore! Discover some math facts that will delight your students!
Interesting Math Facts
Learning your math facts can require memorizing lists of numbers that are added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided.
That is not interesting at all; it is an exercise in memorization.
But numbers can surprise you.
Read on for some interesting math facts that will delight your students.
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Fun Math Facts
Check out this list of fun math facts.
Some of these facts are more interesting than others, but all will have you see the wonder in math.
Every Odd Number Has the Letter “E”
This math fact is strange but true. It only holds true for English, however.
Think about it. Look at these odd numbers:
- one
- three
- five
- seven
- nine
What do they all have in common? The letter “e”.
Some even numbers also contain the letter “e”, but not all (think of two, four, and six).
The Opposite Faces on a Die Add Up to 7
If you roll a die and it comes up with 1, you know the opposite side is a 6.
Why?
Because the opposite sides of the die always add up to 7.
You can look like a real mind reader when someone rolls a 3. (Because you know the opposite side must be 4.)
The same is true for 2 and 5.
Even Numbers Always End with 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8
This is a basic math fact, but it interests kids nonetheless.
You can immediately spot an even number by its final digit, no matter how long it is.
It is even if it ends with 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8.
A Number Is Divisible by 3 If Its Digits Add Up to a Multiple of 3
You can also do a quick trick to see if a number is divisible by 3.
First, you have to know the multiples of 3: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, etc.
If you have a large number, like 312, you can tell if it is divisible by 3 by adding its digits.
3 + 1 + 2 = 6
Since 6 is a multiple of 3, 312 is divisible by 3.
You Can Use Your Fingers to Learn Your 9s Times Tables
Place both hands palms down in front of you.
Consider the problem 9 x 1. (Think: 1 = “first”)
Place your first finger down (that is the pinky of your left hand).
How many fingers are to the left of your pinky? 0
How many fingers are to the right of your pinky? 9
9 x 1 = 09 (or more simply, 9)
Now try 9 x 2. (Think: 2 = “second”)
Place your second finger down (that is the ring finger of your left hand).
How many fingers to the left of your ring finger? 1
How many fingers to the right? 8
So 9 x 2 = 18
It works for every math fact from 9 x 1 to 9 x 10.
2 Is the Only Even Prime Number
A prime number is a number divisible only by 1 and itself.
The first five prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11.
2 is a prime number because its only factors are 2 and 1.
Every other even number has 2 as a factor (so it can’t be prime)!
When You Multiply Numbers with 1s, Weird Things Happen
Here is a weird math phenomenon:
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
It just goes on and on like that!
Adding 9 Will Knock the Number Down
Adding 9 can be tricky to learn, but not when you think about it this way.
Say you have the problem 9 + 7.
Knock the number 7 down by 1; you get 6.
Now add 10: 16
9 + 7 = 16
It works every time. Consider this bigger problem:
9 + 63
Knock 63 down by 1: 62.
Now add 10: 72.
9 + 63 = 72
If a Number Is Divisible by 9, All Its Digits Add Up to a Multiple of 9
This is one of the fun math facts that resembles the 3s trick,
You can tell if a number is divisible by 9 if all its digits add up to 9.
36: 3 + 6 = 9
108: 1 + 0 + 8 = 9
990: 9 + 9 + 0 = 18
When You Multiply Any Number by 0, the Answer Is Zero
This is one of those properties of 0 that makes math problems a snap:
39,323 x 0
Oh! I know the answer! 0!
When You Multiply Any Number by 1, the Answer Is the Same Number
This is the identity property of multiplication.
Any number times 1 equals itself.
5281 x 1
That couldn’t be simpler! The answer is 5281!
When You Add or Multiply, the Answer Is the Same No Matter the Order
This is another interesting math fact (it’s called the commutative property).
When you multiply a string of numbers, they can be in any order. The answer is the same.
6 x 8 = 48 and 8 x 6 = 48
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10 and 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 10
Fun (And Useful) Math Facts
Some of these fun math facts are silly.
Others are cool and useful.
Learning them is not only interesting, but it will also make your students better at math!
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