Basics of Multiplication

Multiplication is a quick and easy way to add.

Multiplication is really just adding—when you think about it. If I had a collection of balls and I was able to group them into 6 groups of 2 balls each, I could easily just multiply 6 * 2 to get that I had 12 balls.

Adding Quickly by Grouping

So, instead of having to count each item separately, I could group them and use multiplication to find the total. Ex.: 2 * 4 = 8.

Repeated Addition

So, there are some simple techniques to help you when you’re starting out with multiplication. For instance, you can use repeated addition to figure out the next iteration in a series of multiplication facts. For example:

4 * 3 = 4 + 4 + 4 = 12

4 * 4 = 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 16.

Another Technique: Skip Counting

You can also use skip counting: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, etc. to help you figure the answers to multiplication problems, but these techniques are great when you’re staring out…eventually you are going to have to know some multiplication answers by heart.

Practice

The times tables that we all learn in school really help you with multiplication problems (and variations of them) that you will see often…so, getting to know them automatically is the best way to help yourself in so many areas of math like algebra, pre-algebra, geometry, and so on.

Take the time to get to know the following problems and answer by heart — the fact families that you see here will appear many, many times again in your life…believe me.