What is Multiplication?

## Learn About Multiplication

Imagine going to a sushi restaurant with your family! 😀

The waiter puts some chopsticks on your table. Can you count how many chopsticks there are altogether?

You can count the chopsticks one by one, but that would take a while.

It would be faster if you do multiplication!

### What is Multiplication? Multiplication is a shortcut for adding over and over again.

Let's look at our chopsticks example: There are 4 groups of chopsticks.

There are 2 chopsticks in each group.

👉 To find the total number of chopsticks, we can add the chopsticks within the groups.

2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 8 chopsticks

But that takes a long time!

👉 Instead of adding over and over, we can multiply!

Tip: 😎 Multiplication is the same as repeated addition! The symbol for multiplication is ×.

Because we are adding a group of 2 chopsticks four times, we can write:

4 groups × 2 chopsticks = 8 chopsticks

This is your first multiplication equation!

4 × 2 = 8
is read as "four times two equals eight"

### Multiplication and Skip Counting

Multiplication is just like skip counting an exact number of times. Super Tip: to multiply any two numbers, pick one and skip count by it!

What's 3 × 2?

Let's use the tip and skip count by 3 two times!

👉3, 6.

So 3 × 2 = 6! 👍

We can also skip count with the other factor, 2, three times!

👉2, 4, 6

Still we see that 2 × 3 = 6! In multiplication, the order of the factors does not matter. 🤓

So, 4 x 3 is the same as 3 x 4.

😺 Super Mega Tip: if skip counting by one of the numbers is too hard, try skip counting by the other one.

### Parts of a Multiplication Equation

Just like with addition and subtraction equations, the parts of a multiplication equation have names. The multiplier is the total number of groups.

The multiplicand is the number in each group. The product is the answer that you get when you multiply. The multiplicand and the multiplier are also called factors.

#### Another Example

Now, you've finished your meal and you want some cake bites. They're served in 3 groups of 4.

How many cake bites are there altogether?

To find the answer, we can multiply.

4 cake bites x 3 groups = ?

👍If you know how to skip count, then you can find the answer to any multiplication problem!

What's 4 × 3?

Let's skip count by 4 three times:

4, 8, 12

Yes, 4 × 3 = 12!

3 groups of 4 = 12 ✅

4 groups of 3 also equals 12 ✅

Let's skip count by 3 four times to check if that's true:

3, 6, 9, 12

Yes, both 4 × 3 and 3 × 4 equal 12!

There are 12 cake bites altogether.

Great job! 🎉

😃 Multiplication is faster than doing repeated addition.

By the end of 3rd grade, you'll be a master at multiplication!

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