5 × 9 = ________

Lay your hands flat on the table. Think about 5 × 9. Start from the left and count each finger. When you get to 5 (your left thumb), tuck it down. Read your hands: 4 to the left of the tucked thumb, and 5 to the right of the tucked thumb. Answer: 45.
(Remember not to count what you tuck in; it just separates the first digit from the second digit.)