Concept 2 of 6
Multiples: Skip-Count Families
Today's big idea
Multiples are what you land on counting up in steps of that number.
No largest multiple exists, which is why every list of them ends in dots.
How it works
👀 What's going on?
Count 4, 8, 12, 16 and you are climbing a ladder. Each rung is the same number added on one more time, and those rungs are its multiples.
💡 Here's the trick
Look at the ladder above. A multiple is what you get when you multiply a number by 1, then 2, then 3, and onwards. The lowest rung is the number itself, and the ladder carries on for ever.
🪄 How to do it
- 1.Read the ladder above and keep adding the same number.
- 2.To test a number, divide it and check the remainder.
- 3.A remainder of zero means it is a multiple.
✍️ Try it
Write the first five multiples of 11. Then: is 96 a multiple of 8?
Adding 11 each time gives 11, 22, 33, 44, 55. For the second, 96 divided by 8 comes to exactly 12, so the answer is yes.
⚠️ Watch out
You might be thinking factors and multiples are the same family. They run in opposite directions. The factors of 12 stop at 12, while the multiples of 12 climb past it for ever.
🌟 Why this matters
Bus timings, egg trays and packets of biscuits all come in multiples, so you can find a total without counting one by one. Skip-counting is also how you check a times table quickly.
Exam tip: A number is a multiple of 3 when its own digits add up to a multiple of 3.
Watch me solve one
Quanta solves it
“Watch how I think through one of these — then you try.”
THE PROBLEM
“Which number is a multiple of BOTH 8 and 12?”
- 1
Skip-count by 8
8, 16, 24, 32, 40 … 🪜
- 2
Skip-count by 12
12, 24, 36, 48 …
- 3
Look for a shared number
24 appears in BOTH rows.
- 4
Answer ✓
24 is a common multiple of 8 and 12
Now you try one — same steps, different story 👇
See it in action
⚡ Time to play!
Multiples of 4 = 4 × 1, 4 × 2, 4 × 3, … forever.
SKIP-COUNT · BASE 4 · ROUND 1 OF 3
Next step: 4 × 1 = 4
Quick check
✅ VERIFICATION
Which number is a multiple of BOTH 6 and 9?
⚡ Finish the activity above first to answer.
Keep going!
Up next: Prime Factorisation
72 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 = 2³ × 3².