Stone Soup

Where young artists paint the world with words

The international magazine of stories, poems, and art by young writers and artists. Published continuously since 1973.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Stay updated with our latest stories, poems, and news delivered to your inbox.

How to Blend Math and Art

Did you know math can be art? I have been doing virtual school since March and I came across in one of my assignments a way of drawing a times table. First, you need to draw a circle like a clock. Make 0 be the 12 on the clock and make 5 be across from 0. It should look like this:

Let’s assume you want to draw the 2 times tables. To do that, you need to draw a line from 0 to 2, 2 to 4 {2 x 2 = 4}, 4 to 6 {2 x 3 = 6}, 6 to 8, and back to 0 because 2 x 5 = 10 and the last digit ends with 0. Your picture should look like this:

Things start to look more interesting when you do the 3 times table. Always start at 0. Draw a line from 0 to 3, 3 to 6 {3 x 2 = 6}, 6 to 9, 9 to 2 because 3 x 4 = 12 and the last digit is 2, 2 to 5, 5 to 8, 8 to 1, 1 to 4, 4 to 7, and 7 back to 0. Your picture should end up looking like this:

Next, do this for the 8 times table:

You will find that the shape, a pentagon, is exactly like the shape in the 2 times table. There is one difference though. In the 2 times table, you are going clockwise to make the pattern, but in the 8 times table, you are going counterclockwise.

Try other multiplication tables like 4, 6, etc., and see what cool shapes you find! Who knew art and math blend so well together?!