Basic Multiplication for Kids | A quick (but fun) multiplication introduction

Multiplication. The word multiply means to increase. If you multiply something, it usually gives you more. Multiplication in math means to add the same number over and over again. If you add the following, three plus three equals six. You just multiply the number three two times. Multiplying is a faster way to add the same numbers. You could write three plus three like this. Two times three equals six. Here is another example. Two plus two plus two plus two equals eight. Or you could say four times two, which also equals eight. In the first example, three was added to itself two times. In the second example, two was added to itself four times. You can add a number to itself over and over and over again. When you do this in math, it is called multiplication. Here are some special words and symbols related to multiplication. This is the symbol that tells you to multiply a number with another number. The symbol tells you to multiply. Times. This is the word used when you see the symbol. Here is how you will read it. Four times three. Factors. The numbers that you multiply together are called factors. In the problem, two times five, the factors are two and five. Product. The product is an answer for a multiplication problem. Six is the product for two times three because two times three equals six. Here are some multiplication rules. Any number that is multiplied by zero is equal to zero. So zero times five equals zero. Any number that is multiplied by one is equal to the same number. For example, one times three equals three. When two numbers are multiplied together, the answer or product is the same regardless of the order of the factors. For example, two times three equals three times two. Both are equal to six. This is called the commutative property. When three or more numbers are multiplied together, the answer or product is the same regardless of the grouping of the factors. Two times the grouping of three times four is equal to the grouping of two times three times four. Both are equal to 24. This is called the associative property. The most important thing to do for learning multiplication is to study the multiplication table or sometimes it is called a times table. The following shows you a multiplication table and how to use it. Notice where the four in the left column meets the six in the top column. This tells you that four times six is equal to 24. Here are more examples. One times three equals three. The product of two times eight is 16. The product of three times five is 15. The product of five times two is 10. What is the product of 12 times 10? If you said 120, you're right. Remember, any number times zero equals zero. For example, three times zero equals zero. This is another way multiplication problems can be written. The product of three times seven is 21. The product of eight times five is 40. As you learn how to multiply, you will discover many patterns, shortcuts, and tricks to help you learn how to multiply. Can you think of a time when multiplying numbers will be better than adding numbers over and over again?