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Multiplication Overview

Now we're getting to the good stuff in arithmetic. Multiplication is the third major operation in math. As you might guess from the name, it's about multiples of values. If you have four groups of something, it is like "multiplying" that group by four (4). For example, if I have four (4) cups of nuts on the tables of my restaurant and each cup holds ten (10) nuts, then I have forty (40) nuts in total. We'll show you how to do that when we start working with double-digit multiplication.

And the Symbol Is...

Multiplication is kind of fun because it's not limited to one symbol. We'll just show you instead of explaining. All of these mean the same thing...
4 x 1
4 * 1
4 • 1
4(1)

Remember, they all mean you are going to multiply. They all mean four (4) times one (1), or, "Four multiplied by one." By the way, the answer is four (4). We'll either use the "x" or the "*" on this site. Your computer uses the "*" symbol when you are typing in values you want to multiply. Keypads often have a "*", while your calculator probably has an "x". Your teacher might want you to use the "x" in class. You should see what works before you start your homework.

Multiplying Different Types of Numbers

We have a whole section on numbers for you to learn more. In the multiplication section, we'll usually look at whole numbers that include the numbers 0 and up. We'll also look at integers and how you can multiply negative and positive numbers.

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