OK, let's work through this together. We're starting with 142 and we're going to multiply it by 9, which means we add 142 to itself 9 times.
Step 1: 0 + 142 = 142
Step 2: 142 + 142 = 284
Step 3: 284 + 142 = 426
Step 4: 426 + 142 = 568
Step 5: 568 + 142 = 710
Step 6: 710 + 142 = 852
Step 7: 852 + 142 = 994
Step 8: 994 + 142 = 1136
Step 9: 1136 + 142 = 1278

So, 142*9 = 1278