Numbers in narrative equations

Question

In the example 1 x 2 = 2,  the translation given is « une fois deux égal deux. » I translate this as « one times two equals two. » Why is « une » used instead of « un» ?  In contrast, I see that an another possible translation is « un multiplié par deux. »

Accepted Answer

“Fois” is a noun feminine, not a verb - therefore “une fois”. The non-verbal  ‘sentence’ - une fois deux égal deux - is a ‘translation’ of a mathematical statement. In the alternative ‘translation’ - ‘multiplier’ is a verb, and there is no noun following 1, so the masculine grammar gender default of ‘un’ is used. This issue only occurs with 1 as it is the only cardinal numeral with masculine and feminine adjectival forms.