Multiplication is one of the four basic arithmetic operations. It can be thought of as repeated addition. Multiplying two numbers is equivalent to adding as many copies of one of the numbers, called the multiplicand, as many times as indicated by the other number, called the multiplier. The result is called the product.

Multiplication can be represented in many different ways, the most common being the times sign *, a mid-line dot *, or by placing one factor adjacent to the other, using parentheses to separate the two. 2* 3 &= 6 2* 3 &= 6 2(3) &= 6 It is important to notice that the order in which the operation is performed does not affect the result. This property is known as the Commutative Property of Multiplication. 2 * 3 = 6 3 * 2 = 6 Because of this property, it is very common to refer to both as factors.