Multiplication

Number line

Multiplying numbers is like jumping along the number line, with all your jumps the same size. It's the same thing as addition, except that you repeat it a certain number of times. So if you are multiplying 4 times 3, it means 3 + 3 + 3 + 3, which describes how you make four jumps on the number line, going three spaces forward each time.

One interesting thing about multiplication is that it is commutative: it doesn't matter whether you multiply 4 times 3 or 3 times 4; you'll get the same answer either way.

To find out more about multiplication, or to practice multiplying numbers, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library: