Multiplication operator

The multiplication operator is kind of like a helper that helps us figure out how many things we have if we have a certain number of groups and if each group has the same number of things. Imagine you have three groups of three apples each. The multiplication operator can help us figure out how many apples there are in all the groups together. We can use the multiplication sign, which looks like an "x", to write it down like this: 3 x 3, which means we have three groups of three apples each. We can also use other numbers, like 2 x 4, which means we have two groups of four things each (like four elephants and four giraffes in two separate groups). The multiplication sign helps us quickly figure out how many things we have in total without having to count each individual thing.