What Is a Multiple in Math?

In math, the multiples of a number include all the numbers that result from multiplying that number by any whole number. A number's multiples include the number itself plus the numbers that are divisible by it without leaving a remainder.

A consecutive list of the multiples of any number is found by multiplying the number by the whole numbers in order. For example, the multiples of three start with 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15, because 3 x 1 = 3, 3 x 2 = 6, 3 x 3 = 9, 3 x 4 = 12 and 3 x 5 = 15. The list of multiples for any given number is infinite, because the number of whole numbers to multiply it by is infinite.