What is multiplication?
Q: What is multiplication?
A: Multiplication is an arithmetic operation for finding the product of two numbers in mathematics. It is often represented by symbols such as × and ⋅.
Q: What are the two numbers to be multiplied called?
A: The two numbers to be multiplied are referred to as "coefficients", or "multiplicand" and "multiplicator" separately.
Q: Is multiplication commutative?
A: Yes, multiplication between numbers is said to be commutative—when the order of the numbers does not influence the value of the product. This is true for integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and complex numbers. However, it is not true for quaternions, vectors or matrices.
Q: How can we interpret multiplication of cardinal numbers?
A: We can interpret multiplication of cardinal numbers as scaling quantities - when one number (the multiplicand) is scaled so that a dot placed at position 1 ends up at a certain point (the multiplicator).
Q: How do you represent three multiplied by five?
A: Three multiplied by five can be written as 3 × 5 = 15, or spoken as "three times five equals fifteen."
Q: What is the opposite of multiplication?
A: The opposite of multiplication is division.
