What is multiplication?
Multiplication is fast adding of equal groups. When you have the same number many times, you multiply. The sign is ×.
Key idea
3 groups of 4 = 4 + 4 + 4 = 3 × 4 = 12. The answer is called the product.
Using times tables
Learn your 2, 5 and 10 times tables first. They help you multiply quickly without counting one by one. Instead of adding 5 + 5 + 5 + 5, you can just say 4 × 5 = 20. That is much faster!
Worked example
There are 5 bags. Each bag has 4 apples. How many apples in all?
There are 5 equal groups of 4, so 5 × 4 = 20 apples. This is the same as 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 20.
Remember
- × means equal groups added together.
- Any number × 1 stays the same.
- Any number × 0 is 0.
- You can swap the numbers: 2 × 5 = 5 × 2.