Definition
Multiple
A multiple of a whole number is the result of multiplying it by another whole number.
Continue from this idea into connected AXIO math.
Boundary check: Zero counts as a multiple: 0 = 7 × 0.
What it means
Multiples are the landing places in a skip-counting sequence that starts at zero. The multiples of 7 are 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, and so on because each one is 7 times a whole number.
Remember it
Pick a number, start at 0, and take equal jumps: every landing place is a multiple.
Example
Twenty-eight is a multiple of 7 because 28 = 7 × 4. It is also a multiple of 4 because 28 = 4 × 7.
Watch for
Ten is not a multiple of 4 because no whole number multiplied by 4 equals 10. A multiple is a product, not a leftover or rounded result.
Common mix-up
A factor divides into a number exactly; a multiple is made by multiplying. In 6 × 5 = 30, 6 and 5 are factors of 30, while 30 is a multiple of both.
Exact meaning
For whole numbers m and n, m is a multiple of n when m = n × k for some whole number k. Because k may be 0, zero is a multiple of every whole number.