What is multiplication?

Multiplication just means adding a number many times over. It is sometimes called repeated addition, however it is quicker to multiply rather than to add many times.

3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 3 x 4 = 12

One good thing about multiplication is that the order of the numbers doesn’t make a difference to the answer. It is called commutative.

3 x 4 = 4 x 3 = 12

Language

There are many different ways that you can say multiply:

Times, multiply, lots of, product, sets of, equal groups of, …

Learning the key words will help you to recognise a multiplication question.

Different ways

There are many different ways of working out a multiplication

Checking

To check an answer, you can use the opposite or inverse calculation which is division.

Knowing your times tables really help to make you quick at multiplying and it also really helps with working out division questions.