Multiplication is a procedure that consists of doubling or repeating the quantity or number of a thing several times. The meaning of his word says it all, which is originated from the Latin " multus " which corresponds to much, and " plico ", which is to double. Multiplication is basically a repeated addition; the expression 5 × 2 represents that 5 has to be added with itself 2 times, just as 2 has to be added with itself 5 times, the result will be the same, for both situations.
In arithmetic or mathematics, the multiplication factors are called multiplying and multiplier, the first represents the number that is added repeatedly, and the second represents the number that indicates the times the multiplicand is added. The result of a multiplication is known as a product, this arithmetic operation is designated with the sign by, which can be the X "x" or the point "•".
Multiplication is governed by certain properties, among them are: the commutative property; which says that the order of the factors does not alter or change the product. Example: 35 × 96 = 96 × 35.
The second property is the associative one; This indicates that if an operation has more than two factors, we can associate or group some and multiply the result of the same by the remaining factors. Example: 7x8x2 = (7 × 8) x2 = 7x (8 × 2). And finally, the distributive property; In this it is stated that if we multiply a factor by the sum of several addends, it is equal to adding the products of the factor by each of the addends. Example: 3x (23 + 56 + 33) = (3 × 23) + (3 × 56) + (3 × 33).
