<Li> In matrix multiplication, there is a distinction between the cross and the dot symbols . The cross symbol generally denotes the taking a cross product of two vectors, yielding a vector as the result, while the dot denotes taking the dot product of two vectors, resulting in a scalar . </Li> <P> In computer programming, the asterisk (as in 5 * 2) is still the most common notation . This is due to the fact that most computers historically were limited to small character sets (such as ASCII and EBCDIC) that lacked a multiplication sign (such as ⋅ or ×), while the asterisk appeared on every keyboard . This usage originated in the FORTRAN programming language . </P> <P> The numbers to be multiplied are generally called the "factors". The number to be multiplied is called the "multiplicand", while the number of times the multiplicand is to be multiplied comes from the "multiplier". Usually the multiplier is placed first and the multiplicand is placed second, however sometimes the first factor is the multiplicand and the second the multiplier . Additionally, there are some sources in which the term "multiplicand" is regarded as a synonym for "factor". In algebra, a number that is the multiplier of a variable or expression (e.g., the 3 in 3xy) is called a coefficient . </P> <P> The result of a multiplication is called a product . A product of integers is a multiple of each factor . For example, 15 is the product of 3 and 5, and is both a multiple of 3 and a multiple of 5 . </P>

What is a factor in a multiplication problem