ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Multiple (mathematics)

Multiple means having or being composed of several equal quantities or factors. For example, if you have two apples, and you want to find out how many apples you have if you add two more, you can say "two times two equals four,” because the number four is the result of multiplying two by two.

Think of it like this - when you build with blocks, you can make a tower by stacking one block, two blocks, three blocks, and so on. If you place 2 blocks on top of each other 3 times, then you have built a tower that is six blocks tall. This is called multiplication. You can also think of multiplication as a faster way of "adding" equal groups.

In math, you can use the multiplication sign “x” to show that you're multiplying, like this: 2 x 2 = 4. This means you have two groups of two, and when you put them together, you get four.

Multiplication is used in many areas of life, such as calculating the cost of buying multiple items, finding the total weight of multiple objects, and even understanding how many days are in a week (7 days x 1 week = 7). Knowing how to multiply helps you solve many types of problems faster and easier!
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