This maths memory went viral because it turned out lots of people had a favourite
A chap called Garth Purkett went viral when he asked people for their favourite times table sum from when they were kids.
folks time to pipe up: what was your favorite combo on the multiplication table???
mine was 9 x 9 = 81. it always felt really “adult,” like, “we’re no longer fucking around here.”
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 14, 2018
And it turns out lots of people did indeed have favourites.
Our old English teacher Mr Anderson said he could never understand people who said numbers could be as beautiful as words. But these people’s memories tell a different story …
1.
1 x 0 = It taught me the harsh truth that even if I love him whole, if he has no feelings for me, it will end up with a zero.
— Henri Glo (@chinito_monkey) October 15, 2018
this….. is honestly really beautiful. thank you for contributing this to the conversation.
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 15, 2018
2.
4×4=16
Because it's (2×2)×(2×2) and I loved the secret symmetry— The Boy with the Grenth Tattoo (@PoopVampire) October 15, 2018
4 x 4 = 16 is like buying your first starter home. it's cozy and has just the amount of space you need.
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 15, 2018
3.
5 x 5 = 25 was super approachable and down to earth but still cool
3 x 3 = 9 reminds me of my grandma bea— Jack Picone (@jackienobrakes) October 15, 2018
man oh man, 3 x 3 = 9 is so cozy. much love for your grandma.
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 15, 2018
4.
5 X 8 = 40 don’t ask me to explain. i don’t understand any of my feelings
— M@thew (@TweetPotato314) October 14, 2018
i’ve got it: this combination just feels very *peaceful*. it’s like mid-century modern furniture.
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 14, 2018
5.
9×8=72 A similar feeling, like, this is getting real. My least favourite? 11×12=131 Not sure why ♀️
— Alicia Cox Thomson (@AliciaHCox) October 15, 2018
absolutely. that 3 has no business showing up here.
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 15, 2018
6.
12×12=144 felt Lovecraftian, like, symmetry and madness, where does the 144 even come from besides the dark depths of a dimension best left unknown.
— Lee Elliott (@loudandboring) October 15, 2018
are you fucking joking me, how are you in my BRAIN. it's like an ancient space labyrinth with a layout and meaning known only by a nonhuman race buried deep beneath the Egyptian dessert
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 15, 2018
7.
I love the entire 9s times tables! All the answers add up to nine! Mind blown!
— Joseph Johnson (@jage750) October 15, 2018
that 9 row is where the magic is at baby. 9 row is for freaks (like, good freaks) honestly.
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 15, 2018
8.
8×8=64
Just remember "I ate and ate till I was sick on the floor"— Andy Ryan (@ItsAndyRyan) October 14, 2018
8 x 8 = 64 feels so powerful that it truly COULD make you vomit
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 15, 2018
9.
7×7=49
— Boohoo2105 (@Boohoo2105) October 14, 2018
such an absolute classic
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 14, 2018
Same. Mystical appeal. Still fascinates
— Samuel West (@exitthelemming) October 15, 2018
10.
7×8=56 was always a favorite. Not sure why
— A Nightmare on Silver Lake Blvd (@MeganNiquette) October 15, 2018
it's sharp. it's risky. you don't know what to expect. and then boom: 56. edgy.
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 15, 2018
11.
For sure 7×7 = 49
— Lauren Simmons, Forever 47 (@laurendorphin) October 15, 2018
insanely solid
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 15, 2018
12.
7 x 8 = 56 because it looks wrong and you really have to trust yourself
— Thomas Desoutter (@JamieBrenerFan2) October 15, 2018
oh, absolutely. gotta go all in. always found it interesting who would *really* do it as 8 x 7 in their head instead, or vice versa. feels like there's a fun creative precariousness to 7 x 8.
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 15, 2018
13.
7 x 6 = 42!!! Like who would expect that??
— Steve Pelletier (@stv_pelletier) October 15, 2018
7 x 6 = 42 is literally a small and memorable magic trick
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 15, 2018
14.
11×11 = 121 is so aesthetically pleasing plus it gets bonus points for coming just after 10×10 which is the end of the basics
— The Artist Formerly Known As NeverScaredB (@BenWilinofsky) October 15, 2018
god damn, you're so right. it's just right outside the gate to meet you once you've mastered the beginner's course.
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 15, 2018
15.
Sorry to pipe up but the real snake of the times tables is 11×12 the 11s were meant to be the easy ones then suddenly you’re hit with this curveball that defies all logic, head=gone
— Leena (@LeenaChoudhari) October 15, 2018
11 x 12 = 132 is inDEED a snake. you settle into 11 x 11 = 121 easily enough, and then 132 is there to rudely smack you down like "not so fast"
— garth “HELLFUCKER” purkett (@garbagecoven) October 15, 2018
16.
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321, numeric palindrome.
— realMartinTagg (@martintagg) October 14, 2018
That’s just showing off!
Wouldn’t 11×11 do just as well?— John Alexander White (@johnawhite) October 15, 2018
To conclude …
SUCH A GOOD THREAD OH MY GOD https://t.co/lK045M1L6m
— ia marañon (@iamaranon) October 15, 2018
And there’s a whole bunch more here.
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