Multiplication
In its most elementary form multiplication may be defined as repeated addition of whole numbers or integers.
- For example, Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle 2\times 3 } (spoken as "two times three") is the sum of 2 + 2 + 2.
In this example the numbers "2" and "3" are known as the factors and the result of a multiplication is known as the product.
Multiplication is a commutative operation in that A Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \times} B = B Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \times} A.
- For example Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle 3\times 2 } (spoken as "three times two") is the sum of 3 + 3 = 6.
Symbol
Several conventions are used to indicate multiplication.
- For simple numbers, the symbol (Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \times} ) used looks much like the letter "X", as in the examples above.
- Since the "X" looks like a letter, and letters are commonly used in algebra to indicate unknowns, or variables, the "dot" is frequently used: A • B = B • A.
- Alternatively a period may be used to denote multiplication
- Also, in algebraic use, quantities are simply juxtaposed to indicate that they are to be multiplied:
- Y = 3aX + 4bZ