Why does anything times zero equal zero?
Zero's Honest Answer
Why does anything times zero equal zero?
Five times three is fifteen. Seven times eight is fifty-six. Multiplication is a busy little machine that always hands you something back. But feed it a zero and the machine goes quiet. Nothing comes out. Why does this one number empty the whole answer? Let's find out.
First, remember what multiplication actually means. "Times" is just a fancy word for "groups of." Three times four means three groups, each holding four apples. Count them up and you get twelve. Multiplication is really just polite, organized counting.
