Multiplication is a mathematical operation.
Multiplication is a term originating from the Latin multiplicatio that allows us to name the fact and the consequences of multiplying or multiplying (increasing the number of things that belong to the same group ).
For mathematics , multiplication consists of a composition operation that requires repeatedly adding a number according to the number of times indicated by another.
Elements of a multiplication
The numbers involved in multiplication are called factors , while the result is called the product . The objective of the operation, therefore, is to find the product of two factors.
Each factor , on the other hand, has its own name: the figure to be added repeatedly is the multiplicand , while the number that indicates the number of times the multiplicand must be added is the multiplier . Multiplication, in short, consists of taking the multiplicand and adding it as many times as the multiplier contains units.
For example: 5 x 2 = 10 ( "five multiplied by two is equal to ten" ) is the operation that indicates that you must add 2 times the number 5 ( 5 + 5 = 10 is equal to 5 x 2 = 10 ). The same logic is used with larger numbers ( 8 x 5 = 40 equals 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 40 ).
Properties
It should be noted that multiplication complies with the commutative property . This means that the order of the factors does not alter the product: 7 x 2 = 14 is the same as 2 x 7 = 14 (adding 7 times the number 2 generates the same result as adding 2 times the number 7 ).
With respect to the rest of the most common properties, multiplication does not present any problem. In the case of the associative property, it is possible to group the factors in any way without altering the product . With respect to the distributive property, if we take 2 x (4 + 3 – 5) as an example, each element enclosed in parentheses must be extracted and multiplied by 2, preserving its sign , as follows: 2 x 4 + 2 x 3 – 2 x 5 . The latter can also be expressed as a series of sums: 2 x 4 + 2 x 3 + 2 x (-5) .
In the educational field, multiplication tables are often used to facilitate the learning of multiplication.
Multiplying negative numbers
A peculiarity of multiplication when negative numbers are involved is that when operating with two of them you obtain a positive one; Even in contexts that have little to do with mathematics, it is very common to hear the phrase " less for less, more ." On the other hand, when multiplying a positive number by a negative number, the result is always negative.
Just as in addition , images are usually used to facilitate the learning of these particularities. The most used is to think of an axis on which all the integers are located, centering the view on zero; To the left are the negative numbers and to the right are the positive numbers, and each operation carried out is graphed "moving" in one direction or another, according to the sign of the figures in question.
multiplication tables
In primary school, multiplication is usually learned after having seen addition and subtraction, in that order, and the way in which this operation is presented is through the well-known " multiplication tables ." Basically, they consist of all possible multiplications between the numbers 1 to 9, although depending on the educational center they may cover more accounts.
Each table corresponds to a number, which is why we speak of "the table of 3", for example, to refer to "3 x 1, 3 x 2" and so on up to "3 x 9". In this way, this series of multiplications, as random as it is absurdly simple, is fixed in memory, preventing children from reasoning about the procedure. Simply put, the universe of mathematics is much more complex than "9 x 9."
Multiplication in colloquial speech
In colloquial language , multiplication refers to an increase in certain things or situations. In this way it reflects a growing trend.
In this sense, we can find expressions like the following: “The multiplication of crimes in the neighborhood has made people begin to install bars on their homes.”