Parts of a Multiplication Problem

All 7 parts on the diagram

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Start here: 4 main parts 4

Factors The numbers being multiplied together: 23 and 14 here.
Multiplication sign The × sign that means multiply, or times.
Equals sign The sign that means the two sides have the same value.
Product The result of multiplying: 322 here.

Stacked: 3 more 3

Multiplicand The number being multiplied. In 23 multiplied by 14, it is 23, written on top when stacked.
Multiplier The number you multiply by. Here it is 14, written under the multiplicand beside the ×.
Partial products The answers to the smaller multiplications, added to make the product. Here, 23 × 4 = 92 and 23 × 10 = 230.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. Wikipedia, Multiplication, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplication : a multiplication's result is called a product; the numbers can be referred to as factors; the multiplicand and the multiplier, and which is which may be ambiguous or depend on context ('3 multiplied by 4' makes 3 the multiplicand). Wikipedia, Multiplication algorithm, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplication_algorithm : calculating the simple multiplications separately and adding at the end, the partial products algorithm. The worked example is checked: 23 × 4 = 92, 23 × 10 = 230, 92 + 230 = 322 = 23 × 14. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Own work. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a multiplication problem on one worked example, 23 × 14 = 322: the factors and product written across, then the same problem stacked with the multiplicand, multiplier and partial products. Start with the 4 main parts.

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Factors and product

The numbers you multiply are the factors, and the answer is the product. In 23 × 14 = 322, the factors are 23 and 14 and the product is 322.

Stacked

Stacked, the multiplicand goes on top and the multiplier beneath it. Each digit of the multiplier gives a partial product: 23 × 4 = 92 and 23 × 10 = 230. Add them for the product, 322.

Order does not change the product: 14 × 23 is also 322, so you can check either way.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a multiplication problem called?

The numbers multiplied are the factors and the answer is the product. When one factor is called the multiplicand, the other is the multiplier.

What is the difference between the multiplicand and the multiplier?

The multiplicand is the number being multiplied and the multiplier is the number you multiply by. Written across, which is which depends on how you read it, so both are often just called factors.

What are partial products?

The answers to the smaller multiplications in a stacked problem, one for each digit of the multiplier. Adding them gives the product.