![Multiply field fract](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Multiply_field_fract.svg)
Multiplication (often denoted by the
cross symbol
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
, by the mid-line
dot operator
Multiplication (often denoted by the cross symbol , by the mid-line dot operator , by juxtaposition, or, on computers, by an asterisk ) is one of the four elementary mathematical operations of arithmetic, with the other ones being ad ...
, by
juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is an act or instance of placing two elements close together or side by side. This is often done in order to compare/contrast the two, to show similarities or differences, etc.
Speech
Juxtaposition in literary terms is the showing ...
, or, on
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...
s, by an
asterisk
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
) is one of the four
elementary
Elementary may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001
* ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007
* ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977
Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...
mathematical operations
In mathematics, an operation is a function which takes zero or more input values (also called "''operands''" or "arguments") to a well-defined output value. The number of operands is the arity of the operation.
The most commonly studied operat ...
of
arithmetic
Arithmetic () is an elementary part of mathematics that consists of the study of the properties of the traditional operations on numbers— addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, and extraction of roots. In the 19th ...
, with the other ones being
addition
Addition (usually signified by the Plus and minus signs#Plus sign, plus symbol ) is one of the four basic Operation (mathematics), operations of arithmetic, the other three being subtraction, multiplication and Division (mathematics), division. ...
,
subtraction
Subtraction is an arithmetic operation that represents the operation of removing objects from a collection. Subtraction is signified by the minus sign, . For example, in the adjacent picture, there are peaches—meaning 5 peaches with 2 taken ...
, and
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
. The result of a multiplication operation is called a ''
product
Product may refer to:
Business
* Product (business), an item that serves as a solution to a specific consumer problem.
* Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution
Mathematics
* Produ ...
''.
The multiplication of
whole numbers may be thought of as
repeated addition; that is, the multiplication of two numbers is equivalent to adding as many copies of one of them, the ''multiplicand'', as the quantity of the other one, the ''multiplier''. Both numbers can be referred to as ''factors''.
:
For example, 4 multiplied by 3, often written as
and spoken as "3 times 4", can be calculated by adding 3 copies of 4 together:
:
Here, 3 (the ''multiplier'') and 4 (the ''multiplicand'') are the ''factors'', and 12 is the ''product''.
One of the main
properties
Property is the ownership of land, resources, improvements or other tangible objects, or intellectual property.
Property may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Property (mathematics)
Philosophy and science
* Property (philosophy), in philosophy and ...
of multiplication is the
commutative property
In mathematics, a binary operation is commutative if changing the order of the operands does not change the result. It is a fundamental property of many binary operations, and many mathematical proofs depend on it. Most familiar as the name of ...
, which states in this case that adding 3 copies of 4 gives the same result as adding 4 copies of 3:
:
Thus the designation of multiplier and multiplicand does not affect the result of the multiplication.
Systematic generalizations of this basic definition define the multiplication of integers (including negative numbers), rational numbers (fractions), and real numbers.
Multiplication can also be visualized as
counting
Counting is the process of determining the number of elements of a finite set of objects, i.e., determining the size of a set. The traditional way of counting consists of continually increasing a (mental or spoken) counter by a unit for every ele ...
objects arranged in a
rectangle
In Euclidean plane geometry, a rectangle is a quadrilateral with four right angles. It can also be defined as: an equiangular quadrilateral, since equiangular means that all of its angles are equal (360°/4 = 90°); or a parallelogram containi ...
(for whole numbers) or as finding the
area
Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape
A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...
of a rectangle whose sides have some given
length
Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...
s. The area of a rectangle does not depend on which side is measured first—a consequence of the commutative property.
The product of two measurements is a new type of measurement. For example, multiplying the lengths of the two sides of a rectangle gives its area. Such a product is the subject of
dimensional analysis
In engineering and science, dimensional analysis is the analysis of the relationships between different physical quantities by identifying their base quantities (such as length, mass, time, and electric current) and units of measure (such as m ...
.
The inverse operation of multiplication is
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
. For example, since 4 multiplied by 3 equals 12, 12 divided by 3 equals 4. Indeed, multiplication by 3, followed by division by 3, yields the original number. The division of a number other than 0 by itself equals 1.
Multiplication is also defined for other types of numbers, such as
complex number
In mathematics, a complex number is an element of a number system that extends the real numbers with a specific element denoted , called the imaginary unit and satisfying the equation i^= -1; every complex number can be expressed in the form ...
s, and for more abstract constructs, like
matrices
Matrix most commonly refers to:
* ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise
** ''The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film
** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchis ...
. For some of these more abstract constructs, the order in which the operands are multiplied together matters. A listing of the many different kinds of products used in mathematics is given in
Product (mathematics)
In mathematics, a product is the result of multiplication, or an expression that identifies objects (numbers or variables) to be multiplied, called ''factors''. For example, 30 is the product of 6 and 5 (the result of multiplication), and x\cdot ...
.
Notation and terminology
In
arithmetic
Arithmetic () is an elementary part of mathematics that consists of the study of the properties of the traditional operations on numbers— addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, and extraction of roots. In the 19th ...
, multiplication is often written using the
multiplication sign
The multiplication sign, also known as the times sign or the dimension sign, is the symbol , used in mathematics to denote the multiplication operation and its resulting product. While similar to a lowercase X (), the form is properly a four- ...
(either or ) between the terms (that is, in
infix notation
Infix notation is the notation commonly used in arithmetical and logical formulae and statements. It is characterized by the placement of operators between operands—" infixed operators"—such as the plus sign in .
Usage
Binary relations a ...
). For example,
:
("two times three
equals six")
:
:
:
There are other
mathematical notation
Mathematical notation consists of using symbols for representing operations, unspecified numbers, relations and any other mathematical objects, and assembling them into expressions and formulas. Mathematical notation is widely used in mathematic ...
s for multiplication:
* To reduce confusion between the multiplication sign × and the common variable , multiplication is also denoted by dot signs, usually a middle-position dot (rarely
period
Period may refer to:
Common uses
* Era, a length or span of time
* Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Period (music), a concept in musical composition
* Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...
):
:
or
:The middle dot notation, encoded in Unicode as , is now standard in the United States and other countries where the period is used as a
decimal point
A decimal separator is a symbol used to separate the integer part from the fractional part of a number written in decimal form (e.g., "." in 12.45). Different countries officially designate different symbols for use as the separator. The choi ...
. When the dot operator character is not accessible, the
interpunct
An interpunct , also known as an interpoint, middle dot, middot and centered dot or centred dot, is a punctuation mark consisting of a vertically centered dot used for interword separation in ancient Latin script. (Word-separating spaces did no ...
(·) is used. In other countries that use a
comma
The comma is a punctuation mark that appears in several variants in different languages. It has the same shape as an apostrophe or single closing quotation mark () in many typefaces, but it differs from them in being placed on the baseline ...
as a decimal mark, either the period or a middle dot is used for multiplication.
:Historically, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the middle dot was sometimes used for the decimal to prevent it from disappearing in the ruled line, and the period/full stop was used for multiplication. However, since the
Ministry of Technology
The Ministry of Technology was a department of the government of the United Kingdom, sometimes abbreviated as "MinTech". The Ministry of Technology was established by the incoming government of Harold Wilson in October 1964 as part of Wilson's am ...
ruled to use the period as the decimal point in 1968, and the SI standard has since been widely adopted, this usage is now found only in the more traditional journals such as ''
The Lancet
''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823.
The journal publishes original research articles, ...
''.
* In
algebra
Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics.
Elementary a ...
, multiplication involving
variables is often written as a
juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is an act or instance of placing two elements close together or side by side. This is often done in order to compare/contrast the two, to show similarities or differences, etc.
Speech
Juxtaposition in literary terms is the showing ...
(e.g.,
for
times
or
for five times
), also called ''implied multiplication''. The notation can also be used for quantities that are surrounded by
parentheses
A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...
(e.g.,
,
or
for five times two). This implicit usage of multiplication can cause ambiguity when the concatenated variables happen to match the name of another variable, when a variable name in front of a parenthesis can be confused with a function name, or in the correct determination of the
order of operations
In mathematics and computer programming, the order of operations (or operator precedence) is a collection of rules that reflect conventions about which procedures to perform first in order to evaluate a given mathematical expression.
For exampl ...
.
* In
vector multiplication In mathematics, vector multiplication may refer to one of several operations between two (or more) vectors. It may concern any of the following articles:
* Dot product – also known as the "scalar product", a binary operation that takes two vector ...
, there is a distinction between the cross and the dot symbols. The cross symbol generally denotes the taking a
cross product
In mathematics, the cross product or vector product (occasionally directed area product, to emphasize its geometric significance) is a binary operation on two vectors in a three-dimensional oriented Euclidean vector space (named here E), and is ...
of two
vectors, yielding a vector as its result, while the dot denotes taking the
dot product
In mathematics, the dot product or scalar productThe term ''scalar product'' means literally "product with a scalar as a result". It is also used sometimes for other symmetric bilinear forms, for example in a pseudo-Euclidean space. is an algebra ...
of two vectors, resulting in a
scalar
Scalar may refer to:
*Scalar (mathematics), an element of a field, which is used to define a vector space, usually the field of real numbers
* Scalar (physics), a physical quantity that can be described by a single element of a number field such ...
.
In
computer programming
Computer programming is the process of performing a particular computation (or more generally, accomplishing a specific computing result), usually by designing and building an executable computer program. Programming involves tasks such as ana ...
, the
asterisk
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
(as in
5*2
) is still the most common notation. This is due to the fact that most computers historically were limited to small
character set
Character encoding is the process of assigning numbers to graphical characters, especially the written characters of human language, allowing them to be stored, transmitted, and transformed using digital computers. The numerical values that ...
s (such as
ASCII
ASCII ( ), abbreviated from American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a character encoding standard for electronic communication. ASCII codes represent text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other devices. Because of ...
and
EBCDIC
Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC; ) is an eight-bit character encoding used mainly on IBM mainframe and IBM midrange computer operating systems. It descended from the code used with punched cards and the corresponding six- ...
) that lacked a multiplication sign (such as
⋅
or
×
), while the asterisk appeared on every keyboard. This usage originated in the
FORTRAN programming language.
The numbers to be multiplied are generally called the "
factors
Factor, a Latin word meaning "who/which acts", may refer to:
Commerce
* Factor (agent), a person who acts for, notably a mercantile and colonial agent
* Factor (Scotland), a person or firm managing a Scottish estate
* Factors of production, suc ...
". The number to be multiplied is the "multiplicand", and the number by which it is multiplied is the "multiplier". Usually, the multiplier is placed first and the multiplicand is placed second;
however sometimes the first factor is the multiplicand and the second the multiplier. Also, as the result of multiplication does not depend on the order of the factors, the distinction between "multiplicand" and "multiplier" is useful only at a very elementary level and in some
multiplication algorithm
A multiplication algorithm is an algorithm (or method) to multiply two numbers. Depending on the size of the numbers, different algorithms are more efficient than others. Efficient multiplication algorithms have existed since the advent of the d ...
s, such as the
long multiplication
A multiplication algorithm is an algorithm (or method) to multiply two numbers. Depending on the size of the numbers, different algorithms are more efficient than others. Efficient multiplication algorithms have existed since the advent of the de ...
. Therefore, in some sources, the term "multiplicand" is regarded as a synonym for "factor". In algebra, a number that is the multiplier of a variable or expression (e.g., the 3 in
) is called a
coefficient
In mathematics, a coefficient is a multiplicative factor in some term of a polynomial, a series, or an expression; it is usually a number, but may be any expression (including variables such as , and ). When the coefficients are themselves var ...
.
The result of a multiplication is called a
product
Product may refer to:
Business
* Product (business), an item that serves as a solution to a specific consumer problem.
* Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution
Mathematics
* Produ ...
. When one factor is an integer, the product is a
multiple of the other or of the product of the others. Thus
is a multiple of
, as is
. A product of integers is a multiple of each factor; for example, 15 is the product of 3 and 5 and is both a multiple of 3 and a multiple of 5.
Definitions
The product of two numbers or the multiplication between two numbers can be defined for common special cases: integers, natural numbers, fractions, real numbers, complex numbers, and quaternions.
Product of two natural numbers
![Three by Four](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Three_by_Four.svg)
Placing several stones into a rectangular pattern with
rows and
columns gives
:
stones.
Product of two integers
Integers allow positive and negative numbers. Their product is determined by the product of their positive amounts, combined with the sign derived from the following rule:
:
(This rule is a necessary consequence of demanding
distributivity
In mathematics, the distributive property of binary operations generalizes the distributive law, which asserts that the equality
x \cdot (y + z) = x \cdot y + x \cdot z
is always true in elementary algebra.
For example, in elementary arithmetic, ...
of multiplication over addition, and is not an ''additional rule''.)
In words, we have:
* A negative number multiplied by a negative number is positive,
* A negative number multiplied by a positive number is negative,
* A positive number multiplied by a negative number is negative,
* A positive number multiplied by a positive number is positive.
Product of two fractions
Two fractions can be multiplied by multiplying their numerators and denominators:
:
Product of two real numbers
The rigorous definition of the product of two real numbers is a byproduct of the
Construction of the real numbers
In mathematics, there are several equivalent ways of defining the real numbers. One of them is that they form a complete ordered field that does not contain any smaller complete ordered field. Such a definition does not prove that such a complete o ...
. This construction implies that, for every real number there is a set of
rational number
In mathematics, a rational number is a number that can be expressed as the quotient or fraction of two integers, a numerator and a non-zero denominator . For example, is a rational number, as is every integer (e.g. ). The set of all ration ...
such that is the
least upper bound
In mathematics, the infimum (abbreviated inf; plural infima) of a subset S of a partially ordered set P is a greatest element in P that is less than or equal to each element of S, if such an element exists. Consequently, the term ''greatest low ...
of the elements of :
:
If is another real number that is the least upper bound of , the product
is defined as
:
This definition does not depend of a particular choice of and . That is, if they are changed without changing their least upper bound, then the least upper bound defining
is not changed.
Product of two complex numbers
Two complex numbers can be multiplied by the distributive law and the fact that
, as follows:
:
![Komplexe zahlenebene](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Komplexe_zahlenebene.svg)
Geometric meaning of complex multiplication can be understood rewriting complex numbers in
polar coordinates
In mathematics, the polar coordinate system is a two-dimensional coordinate system in which each point on a plane is determined by a distance from a reference point and an angle from a reference direction. The reference point (analogous to the or ...
:
:
Furthermore,
:
from which one obtains
:
The geometric meaning is that the magnitudes are multiplied and the arguments are added.
Product of two quaternions
The product of two
quaternion
In mathematics, the quaternion number system extends the complex numbers. Quaternions were first described by the Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton in 1843 and applied to mechanics in three-dimensional space. Hamilton defined a quatern ...
s can be found in the article on
quaternions
In mathematics, the quaternion number system extends the complex numbers. Quaternions were first described by the Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton in 1843 and applied to mechanics in three-dimensional space. Hamilton defined a quatern ...
. Note, in this case, that
and
are in general different.
Computation
200px, The Educated Monkey – a For_example:_set_the_monkey's_feet_to_4_and_9,_and_get_the_product_–_36_–_in_its_hands..html" ;"title="tin toy dated 1918, used as a multiplication "calculator".
For example: set the monkey's feet to 4 and 9, and get the product – 36 – in its hands.">tin toy dated 1918, used as a multiplication "calculator".
For example: set the monkey's feet to 4 and 9, and get the product – 36 – in its hands.
Many common methods for multiplying numbers using pencil and paper require a
multiplication table
In mathematics, a multiplication table (sometimes, less formally, a times table) is a mathematical table used to define a multiplication operation for an algebraic system.
The decimal multiplication table was traditionally taught as an essenti ...
of memorized or consulted products of small numbers (typically any two numbers from 0 to 9). However, one method, the
peasant multiplication
In mathematics, ancient Egyptian multiplication (also known as Egyptian multiplication, Ethiopian multiplication, Russian multiplication, or peasant multiplication), one of two multiplication methods used by scribes, is a systematic method for mul ...
algorithm, does not. The example below illustrates "long multiplication" (the "standard algorithm", "grade-school multiplication"):
23958233
× 5830
———————————————
00000000 ( = 23,958,233 × 0)
71874699 ( = 23,958,233 × 30)
191665864 ( = 23,958,233 × 800)
+ 119791165 ( = 23,958,233 × 5,000)
———————————————
139676498390 ( = 139,676,498,390 )
In some countries such as
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, the above multiplication is depicted similarly but with the original product kept horizontal and computation starting with the first digit of the multiplier:
23958233 · 5830
———————————————
119791165
191665864
71874699
00000000
———————————————
139676498390
Multiplying numbers to more than a couple of decimal places by hand is tedious and error-prone.
Common logarithm
In mathematics, the common logarithm is the logarithm with base 10. It is also known as the decadic logarithm and as the decimal logarithm, named after its base, or Briggsian logarithm, after Henry Briggs, an English mathematician who pioneered i ...
s were invented to simplify such calculations, since adding logarithms is equivalent to multiplying. The
slide rule
The slide rule is a mechanical analog computer which is used primarily for multiplication and division, and for functions such as exponents, roots, logarithms, and trigonometry. It is not typically designed for addition or subtraction, which is ...
allowed numbers to be quickly multiplied to about three places of accuracy. Beginning in the early 20th century, mechanical
calculator
An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics.
The first solid-state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s. Pocket-sized ...
s, such as the
Marchant Marchant is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Adio Marchant (born 1987), English singer and songwriter known professionally as Bipolar Sunshine
* Alison Marchant, Australian politician
* Chesten Marchant (died 1676), last monog ...
, automated multiplication of up to 10-digit numbers. Modern electronic
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...
s and calculators have greatly reduced the need for multiplication by hand.
Historical algorithms
Methods of multiplication were documented in the writings of
ancient Egyptian, and
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
civilizations.
The
Ishango bone
The Ishango bone, discovered at the "Fisherman Settlement" of Ishango in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a bone tool and possible mathematical device that dates to the Upper Paleolithic era. The curved bone is dark brown in color, about 10 ce ...
, dated to about 18,000 to 20,000 BC, may hint at a knowledge of multiplication in the
Upper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. Very broadly, it dates to between 50,000 and 12,000 years ago (the beginning of the Holocene), according to some theories coin ...
era in
Central Africa
Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, ...
, but this is speculative.
Egyptians
The Egyptian method of multiplication of integers and fractions, which is documented in the
Rhind Mathematical Papyrus, was by successive additions and doubling. For instance, to find the product of 13 and 21 one had to double 21 three times, obtaining , , . The full product could then be found by adding the appropriate terms found in the doubling sequence:
:13 × 21 = (1 + 4 + 8) × 21 = (1 × 21) + (4 × 21) + (8 × 21) = 21 + 84 + 168 = 273.
Babylonians
The
Babylonians
Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...
used a
sexagesimal
Sexagesimal, also known as base 60 or sexagenary, is a numeral system with sixty as its base. It originated with the ancient Sumerians in the 3rd millennium BC, was passed down to the ancient Babylonians, and is still used—in a modified form ...
positional number system
Positional notation (or place-value notation, or positional numeral system) usually denotes the extension to any base of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system (or decimal system). More generally, a positional system is a numeral system in which the ...
, analogous to the modern-day
decimal system. Thus, Babylonian multiplication was very similar to modern decimal multiplication. Because of the relative difficulty of remembering different products, Babylonian mathematicians employed
multiplication table
In mathematics, a multiplication table (sometimes, less formally, a times table) is a mathematical table used to define a multiplication operation for an algebraic system.
The decimal multiplication table was traditionally taught as an essenti ...
s. These tables consisted of a list of the first twenty multiples of a certain ''principal number'' ''n'': ''n'', 2''n'', ..., 20''n''; followed by the multiples of 10''n'': 30''n'' 40''n'', and 50''n''. Then to compute any sexagesimal product, say 53''n'', one only needed to add 50''n'' and 3''n'' computed from the table.
Chinese
![Multiplication algorithm](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Multiplication_algorithm.GIF)
In the mathematical text ''
Zhoubi Suanjing
The ''Zhoubi Suanjing'' () is one of the oldest Chinese mathematical texts. "Zhou" refers to the ancient Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BCE); "Bì" literally means "thigh", but in the book refers to the gnomon of a sundial. The book is dedicated to ...
'', dated prior to 300 BC, and the ''
Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art
''The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art'' () is a Chinese mathematics book, composed by several generations of scholars from the 10th–2nd century BCE, its latest stage being from the 2nd century CE. This book is one of the earliest sur ...
'', multiplication calculations were written out in words, although the early Chinese mathematicians employed
Rod calculus Rod calculus or rod calculation was the mechanical method of algorithmic computation with counting rods in China from the Warring States to Ming dynasty before the counting rods were increasingly replaced by the more convenient and faster abacus. Ro ...
involving place value addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The Chinese were already using a
decimal multiplication table by the end of the
Warring States
The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...
period.
Modern methods
The modern method of multiplication based on the
Hindu–Arabic numeral system
The Hindu–Arabic numeral system or Indo-Arabic numeral system Audun HolmeGeometry: Our Cultural Heritage 2000 (also called the Hindu numeral system or Arabic numeral system) is a positional decimal numeral system, and is the most common syste ...
was first described by
Brahmagupta
Brahmagupta ( – ) was an Indian mathematician and astronomer. He is the author of two early works on mathematics and astronomy: the ''Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta'' (BSS, "correctly established doctrine of Brahma", dated 628), a theoretical trea ...
. Brahmagupta gave rules for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Henry Burchard Fine
Henry Burchard Fine (September 14, 1858 – December 22, 1928) was an American university dean and mathematician.
Life and career
Henry Burchard Fine (1858 – 1928) played a critical role in modernizing the American university and raising A ...
, then a professor of mathematics at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
, wrote the following:
:''The Indians are the inventors not only of the positional decimal system itself, but of most of the processes involved in elementary reckoning with the system. Addition and subtraction they performed quite as they are performed nowadays; multiplication they effected in many ways, ours among them, but division they did cumbrously.''
These place value decimal arithmetic algorithms were introduced to Arab countries by
Al Khwarizmi
Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī ( ar, محمد بن موسى الخوارزمي, Muḥammad ibn Musā al-Khwārazmi; ), or al-Khwarizmi, was a Persian polymath from Khwarazm, who produced vastly influential works in mathematics, astronom ...
in the early 9th century and popularized in the Western world by
Fibonacci
Fibonacci (; also , ; – ), also known as Leonardo Bonacci, Leonardo of Pisa, or Leonardo Bigollo Pisano ('Leonardo the Traveller from Pisa'), was an Italian mathematician from the Republic of Pisa, considered to be "the most talented Western ...
in the 13th century.
Grid method
Grid method multiplication
The grid method (also known as the box method) of multiplication is an introductory approach to multi-digit multiplication calculations that involve numbers larger than ten. Because it is often taught in mathematics education at the level of prima ...
, or the box method, is used in primary schools in England and Wales and in some areas of the United States to help teach an understanding of how multiple digit multiplication works. An example of multiplying 34 by 13 would be to lay the numbers out in a grid as follows:
:
and then add the entries.
Computer algorithms
The classical method of multiplying two -digit numbers requires digit multiplications.
Multiplication algorithm
A multiplication algorithm is an algorithm (or method) to multiply two numbers. Depending on the size of the numbers, different algorithms are more efficient than others. Efficient multiplication algorithms have existed since the advent of the d ...
s have been designed that reduce the computation time considerably when multiplying large numbers. Methods based on the
discrete Fourier transform
In mathematics, the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) converts a finite sequence of equally-spaced samples of a function into a same-length sequence of equally-spaced samples of the discrete-time Fourier transform (DTFT), which is a complex- ...
reduce the
computational complexity
In computer science, the computational complexity or simply complexity of an algorithm is the amount of resources required to run it. Particular focus is given to computation time (generally measured by the number of needed elementary operations) ...
to . In 2016, the factor was replaced by a function that increases much slower, though still not constant. In March 2019, David Harvey and Joris van der Hoeven submitted a paper presenting an integer multiplication algorithm with a complexity of
The algorithm, also based on the fast Fourier transform, is conjectured to be asymptotically optimal. The algorithm is not practically useful, as it only becomes faster for multiplying extremely large numbers (having more than bits).
Products of measurements
One can only meaningfully add or subtract quantities of the same type, but quantities of different types can be multiplied or divided without problems. For example, four bags with three marbles each can be thought of as:
:
bags×
marbles per bag= 12 marbles.
When two measurements are multiplied together, the product is of a type depending on the types of measurements. The general theory is given by
dimensional analysis
In engineering and science, dimensional analysis is the analysis of the relationships between different physical quantities by identifying their base quantities (such as length, mass, time, and electric current) and units of measure (such as m ...
. This analysis is routinely applied in physics, but it also has applications in finance and other applied fields.
A common example in physics is the fact that multiplying
speed
In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...
by
time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
gives
distance
Distance is a numerical or occasionally qualitative measurement of how far apart objects or points are. In physics or everyday usage, distance may refer to a physical length or an estimation based on other criteria (e.g. "two counties over"). ...
. For example:
:50 kilometers per hour × 3 hours = 150 kilometers.
In this case, the hour units cancel out, leaving the product with only kilometer units.
Other examples of multiplication involving units include:
:2.5 meters × 4.5 meters = 11.25 square meters
:11 meters/seconds × 9 seconds = 99 meters
:4.5 residents per house × 20 houses = 90 residents
Product of a sequence
Capital pi notation
The product of a sequence of factors can be written with the product symbol
, which derives from the capital letter Π (pi) in the
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as we ...
(much like the same way the
summation symbol
In mathematics, summation is the addition of a sequence of any kind of numbers, called ''addends'' or ''summands''; the result is their ''sum'' or ''total''. Beside numbers, other types of values can be summed as well: function (mathematics), fu ...
is derived from the Greek letter Σ (sigma). The meaning of this notation is given by
:
which results in
:
In such a notation, the
variable
Variable may refer to:
* Variable (computer science), a symbolic name associated with a value and whose associated value may be changed
* Variable (mathematics), a symbol that represents a quantity in a mathematical expression, as used in many ...
represents a varying
integer
An integer is the number zero (), a positive natural number (, , , etc.) or a negative integer with a minus sign (−1, −2, −3, etc.). The negative numbers are the additive inverses of the corresponding positive numbers. In the language ...
, called the multiplication index, that runs from the lower value indicated in the subscript to the upper value given by the superscript. The product is obtained by multiplying together all factors obtained by substituting the multiplication index for an integer between the lower and the upper values (the bounds included) in the expression that follows the product operator.
More generally, the notation is defined as
:
where ''m'' and ''n'' are integers or expressions that evaluate to integers. In the case where , the value of the product is the same as that of the single factor ''x''
''m''; if , the product is an
empty product
In mathematics, an empty product, or nullary product or vacuous product, is the result of multiplying no factors. It is by convention equal to the multiplicative identity (assuming there is an identity for the multiplication operation in question ...
whose value is 1—regardless of the expression for the factors.
Properties of capital pi notation
By definition,
:
If all factors are identical, a product of factors is equivalent to
exponentiation
Exponentiation is a mathematical operation, written as , involving two numbers, the '' base'' and the ''exponent'' or ''power'' , and pronounced as " (raised) to the (power of) ". When is a positive integer, exponentiation corresponds to re ...
:
:
Associativity
In mathematics, the associative property is a property of some binary operations, which means that rearranging the parentheses in an expression will not change the result. In propositional logic, associativity is a valid rule of replacement f ...
and
commutativity
In mathematics, a binary operation is commutative if changing the order of the operands does not change the result. It is a fundamental property of many binary operations, and many mathematical proofs depend on it. Most familiar as the name of ...
of multiplication imply
:
and
:
if is a nonnegative integer, or if all
are positive
real number
In mathematics, a real number is a number that can be used to measure a ''continuous'' one-dimensional quantity such as a distance, duration or temperature. Here, ''continuous'' means that values can have arbitrarily small variations. Every real ...
s, and
:
if all
are nonnegative integers, or if is a positive real number.
Infinite products
One may also consider products of infinitely many terms; these are called
infinite product In mathematics, for a sequence of complex numbers ''a''1, ''a''2, ''a''3, ... the infinite product
:
\prod_^ a_n = a_1 a_2 a_3 \cdots
is defined to be the limit of a sequence, limit of the Multiplication#Capital pi notation, partial products ''a' ...
s. Notationally, this consists in replacing ''n'' above by the
Infinity symbol
The infinity symbol (\infty) is a mathematical symbol representing the concept of infinity. This symbol is also called a lemniscate, after the lemniscate curves of a similar shape studied in algebraic geometry, or "lazy eight", in the terminol ...
∞. The product of such an infinite sequence is defined as the
limit
Limit or Limits may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Limit'' (manga), a manga by Keiko Suenobu
* ''Limit'' (film), a South Korean film
* Limit (music), a way to characterize harmony
* "Limit" (song), a 2016 single by Luna Sea
* "Limits", a 2019 ...
of the product of the first ''n'' terms, as ''n'' grows without bound. That is,
:
One can similarly replace ''m'' with negative infinity, and define:
:
provided both limits exist.
Exponentiation
When multiplication is repeated, the resulting operation is known as ''
exponentiation
Exponentiation is a mathematical operation, written as , involving two numbers, the '' base'' and the ''exponent'' or ''power'' , and pronounced as " (raised) to the (power of) ". When is a positive integer, exponentiation corresponds to re ...
''. For instance, the product of three factors of two (2×2×2) is "two raised to the third power", and is denoted by 2
3, a two with a
superscript
A subscript or superscript is a character (such as a number or letter) that is set slightly below or above the normal line of type, respectively. It is usually smaller than the rest of the text. Subscripts appear at or below the baseline, whil ...
three. In this example, the number two is the ''base'', and three is the ''exponent''. In general, the exponent (or superscript) indicates how many times the base appears in the expression, so that the expression
:
indicates that ''n'' copies of the base ''a'' are to be multiplied together. This notation can be used whenever multiplication is known to be
power associative In mathematics, specifically in abstract algebra, power associativity is a property of a binary operation that is a weak form of associativity.
Definition
An algebra (or more generally a magma) is said to be power-associative if the subalgebra ...
.
Properties
For
real
Real may refer to:
Currencies
* Brazilian real (R$)
* Central American Republic real
* Mexican real
* Portuguese real
* Spanish real
* Spanish colonial real
Music Albums
* ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000)
* ''Real'' (Bright album) (2010) ...
and
complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
numbers, which includes, for example,
natural number
In mathematics, the natural numbers are those numbers used for counting (as in "there are ''six'' coins on the table") and ordering (as in "this is the ''third'' largest city in the country").
Numbers used for counting are called ''Cardinal n ...
s,
integer
An integer is the number zero (), a positive natural number (, , , etc.) or a negative integer with a minus sign (−1, −2, −3, etc.). The negative numbers are the additive inverses of the corresponding positive numbers. In the language ...
s, and
fractions
A fraction (from la, fractus, "broken") represents a part of a whole or, more generally, any number of equal parts. When spoken in everyday English, a fraction describes how many parts of a certain size there are, for example, one-half, eight ...
, multiplication has certain properties:
;
Commutative property
In mathematics, a binary operation is commutative if changing the order of the operands does not change the result. It is a fundamental property of many binary operations, and many mathematical proofs depend on it. Most familiar as the name of ...
:The order in which two numbers are multiplied does not matter:
::
;
Associative property
In mathematics, the associative property is a property of some binary operations, which means that rearranging the parentheses in an expression will not change the result. In propositional logic, associativity is a valid rule of replacement ...
:Expressions solely involving multiplication or addition are invariant with respect to the
order of operations
In mathematics and computer programming, the order of operations (or operator precedence) is a collection of rules that reflect conventions about which procedures to perform first in order to evaluate a given mathematical expression.
For exampl ...
:
::
;
Distributive property
In mathematics, the distributive property of binary operations generalizes the distributive law, which asserts that the equality
x \cdot (y + z) = x \cdot y + x \cdot z
is always true in elementary algebra.
For example, in elementary arithmetic, ...
:Holds with respect to multiplication over addition. This identity is of prime importance in simplifying algebraic expressions:
::
;
Identity element
In mathematics, an identity element, or neutral element, of a binary operation operating on a set is an element of the set that leaves unchanged every element of the set when the operation is applied. This concept is used in algebraic structures su ...
:The multiplicative identity is 1; anything multiplied by 1 is itself. This feature of 1 is known as the identity property:
::
;
Property of 0
:Any number multiplied by 0 is 0. This is known as the zero property of multiplication:
::
;
Negation
In logic, negation, also called the logical complement, is an operation that takes a proposition P to another proposition "not P", written \neg P, \mathord P or \overline. It is interpreted intuitively as being true when P is false, and false ...
:−1 times any number is equal to the
additive inverse
In mathematics, the additive inverse of a number is the number that, when added to , yields zero. This number is also known as the opposite (number), sign change, and negation. For a real number, it reverses its sign: the additive inverse (opp ...
of that number.
::
where
:–1 times –1 is 1.
::
;
Inverse element
In mathematics, the concept of an inverse element generalises the concepts of opposite () and reciprocal () of numbers.
Given an operation denoted here , and an identity element denoted , if , one says that is a left inverse of , and that is ...
:Every number ''x'',
except 0, has a
multiplicative inverse
In mathematics, a multiplicative inverse or reciprocal for a number ''x'', denoted by 1/''x'' or ''x''−1, is a number which when Multiplication, multiplied by ''x'' yields the multiplicative identity, 1. The multiplicative inverse of a rat ...
,
, such that
.
;
Order preservation
:Multiplication by a positive number preserves the
order:
::For , if then .
:Multiplication by a negative number reverses the order:
::For , if then .
:The
complex number
In mathematics, a complex number is an element of a number system that extends the real numbers with a specific element denoted , called the imaginary unit and satisfying the equation i^= -1; every complex number can be expressed in the form ...
s do not have an ordering that is compatible with both addition and multiplication.
Other mathematical systems that include a multiplication operation may not have all these properties. For example, multiplication is not, in general, commutative for
matrices
Matrix most commonly refers to:
* ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise
** ''The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film
** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchis ...
and
quaternion
In mathematics, the quaternion number system extends the complex numbers. Quaternions were first described by the Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton in 1843 and applied to mechanics in three-dimensional space. Hamilton defined a quatern ...
s.
Axioms
In the book ''
Arithmetices principia, nova methodo exposita
The 1889 treatise ''Arithmetices principia, nova methodo exposita'' (''The principles of arithmetic, presented by a new method''; 1889) by Giuseppe Peano is a seminal document in mathematical logic and set theory, introducing what is now the s ...
'',
Giuseppe Peano
Giuseppe Peano (; ; 27 August 1858 – 20 April 1932) was an Italian mathematician and glottologist. The author of over 200 books and papers, he was a founder of mathematical logic and set theory, to which he contributed much notation. The stand ...
proposed axioms for arithmetic based on his axioms for natural numbers.
Peano arithmetic has two axioms for multiplication:
:
:
Here ''S''(''y'') represents the
successor
Successor may refer to:
* An entity that comes after another (see Succession (disambiguation))
Film and TV
* ''The Successor'' (film), a 1996 film including Laura Girling
* ''The Successor'' (TV program), a 2007 Israeli television program Musi ...
of ''y''; i.e., the natural number that follows ''y''. The various properties like associativity can be proved from these and the other axioms of Peano arithmetic, including
induction
Induction, Inducible or Inductive may refer to:
Biology and medicine
* Labor induction (birth/pregnancy)
* Induction chemotherapy, in medicine
* Induced stem cells, stem cells derived from somatic, reproductive, pluripotent or other cell t ...
. For instance, ''S''(0), denoted by 1, is a multiplicative identity because
:
The axioms for
integer
An integer is the number zero (), a positive natural number (, , , etc.) or a negative integer with a minus sign (−1, −2, −3, etc.). The negative numbers are the additive inverses of the corresponding positive numbers. In the language ...
s typically define them as equivalence classes of ordered pairs of natural numbers. The model is based on treating (''x'',''y'') as equivalent to when ''x'' and ''y'' are treated as integers. Thus both (0,1) and (1,2) are equivalent to −1. The multiplication axiom for integers defined this way is
:
The rule that −1 × −1 = 1 can then be deduced from
:
Multiplication is extended in a similar way to
rational number
In mathematics, a rational number is a number that can be expressed as the quotient or fraction of two integers, a numerator and a non-zero denominator . For example, is a rational number, as is every integer (e.g. ). The set of all ration ...
s and then to
real number
In mathematics, a real number is a number that can be used to measure a ''continuous'' one-dimensional quantity such as a distance, duration or temperature. Here, ''continuous'' means that values can have arbitrarily small variations. Every real ...
s.
Multiplication with set theory
The product of non-negative integers can be defined with set theory using
cardinal numbers
In mathematics, cardinal numbers, or cardinals for short, are a generalization of the natural numbers used to measure the cardinality (size) of sets. The cardinality of a finite set is a natural number: the number of elements in the set. The ...
or the
Peano axioms
In mathematical logic, the Peano axioms, also known as the Dedekind–Peano axioms or the Peano postulates, are axioms for the natural numbers presented by the 19th century Italian mathematician Giuseppe Peano. These axioms have been used nearly ...
. See #Multiplication of different kinds of numbers, below how to extend this to multiplying arbitrary integers, and then arbitrary rational numbers. The product of real numbers is defined in terms of products of rational numbers; see construction of the real numbers.
Multiplication in group theory
There are many sets that, under the operation of multiplication, satisfy the axioms that define group (mathematics), group structure. These axioms are closure, associativity, and the inclusion of an identity element and inverses.
A simple example is the set of non-zero rational numbers. Here we have identity 1, as opposed to groups under addition where the identity is typically 0. Note that with the rationals, we must exclude zero because, under multiplication, it does not have an inverse: there is no rational number that can be multiplied by zero to result in 1. In this example, we have an abelian group, but that is not always the case.
To see this, consider the set of invertible square matrices of a given dimension over a given field (mathematics), field. Here, it is straightforward to verify closure, associativity, and inclusion of identity (the identity matrix) and inverses. However, matrix multiplication is not commutative, which shows that this group is non-abelian.
Another fact worth noticing is that the integers under multiplication do not form a group—even if we exclude zero. This is easily seen by the nonexistence of an inverse for all elements other than 1 and −1.
Multiplication in group theory is typically notated either by a dot or by juxtaposition (the omission of an operation symbol between elements). So multiplying element a by element b could be notated as a
b or ab. When referring to a group via the indication of the set and operation, the dot is used. For example, our first example could be indicated by
.
Multiplication of different kinds of numbers
Numbers can ''count'' (3 apples), ''order'' (the 3rd apple), or ''measure'' (3.5 feet high); as the history of mathematics has progressed from counting on our fingers to modelling quantum mechanics, multiplication has been generalized to more complicated and abstract types of numbers, and to things that are not numbers (such as
matrices
Matrix most commonly refers to:
* ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise
** ''The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film
** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchis ...
) or do not look much like numbers (such as
quaternion
In mathematics, the quaternion number system extends the complex numbers. Quaternions were first described by the Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton in 1843 and applied to mechanics in three-dimensional space. Hamilton defined a quatern ...
s).
;Integers
:
is the sum of ''N'' copies of ''M'' when ''N'' and ''M'' are positive whole numbers. This gives the number of things in an array ''N'' wide and ''M'' high. Generalization to negative numbers can be done by
:
and
:
:The same sign rules apply to rational and real numbers.
;Rational numbers
:Generalization to fractions
is by multiplying the numerators and denominators respectively:
. This gives the area of a rectangle
high and
wide, and is the same as the number of things in an array when the rational numbers happen to be whole numbers.
;Real numbers
:Real numbers and their products Construction of the real numbers#Construction from Cauchy sequences, can be defined in terms of sequences of rational numbers.
;Complex numbers
:Considering complex numbers
and
as ordered pairs of real numbers
and
, the product
is
. This is the same as for reals
when the ''imaginary parts''
and
are zero.
:Equivalently, denoting
as
, we have
:Alternatively, in trigonometric form, if
, then
;Further generalizations
:See #Multiplication in group theory, Multiplication in group theory, above, and Multiplicative group, which for example includes matrix multiplication. A very general, and abstract, concept of multiplication is as the "multiplicatively denoted" (second) binary operation in a Ring (mathematics), ring. An example of a ring that is not any of the above number systems is a polynomial ring (you can add and multiply polynomials, but polynomials are not numbers in any usual sense.)
;Division
:Often division,
, is the same as multiplication by an inverse,
. Multiplication for some types of "numbers" may have corresponding division, without inverses; in an integral domain ''x'' may have no inverse "
" but
may be defined. In a division ring there are inverses, but
may be ambiguous in non-commutative rings since
need not be the same as
.
See also
* Dimensional analysis
*
Multiplication algorithm
A multiplication algorithm is an algorithm (or method) to multiply two numbers. Depending on the size of the numbers, different algorithms are more efficient than others. Efficient multiplication algorithms have existed since the advent of the d ...
** Karatsuba algorithm, for large numbers
** Toom–Cook multiplication, for very large numbers
** Schönhage–Strassen algorithm, for huge numbers
* Multiplication table
* Binary multiplier, how computers multiply
** Booth's multiplication algorithm
** Floating-point arithmetic
** Fused multiply–add
** Multiply–accumulate
** Wallace tree
* Multiplicative inverse, reciprocal
* Factorial
* Genaille–Lucas rulers
* Lunar arithmetic
* Napier's bones
* Peasant multiplication
*
Product (mathematics)
In mathematics, a product is the result of multiplication, or an expression that identifies objects (numbers or variables) to be multiplied, called ''factors''. For example, 30 is the product of 6 and 5 (the result of multiplication), and x\cdot ...
, for generalizations
* Slide rule
Notes
References
*
External links
Multiplicationan
Arithmetic Operations In Various Number Systemsat cut-the-knot
Modern Chinese Multiplication Techniques on an Abacus
{{Authority control
Multiplication,
Elementary arithmetic
Mathematical notation
Articles containing proofs