Solve the Multiplication Equation: 15 × ? = 0

Q: Why can't the answer be 1 since 1 is the identity for multiplication?

The identity property says $ a \times 1 = a $, so $ 15 \times 1 = 15 $, not 0. Only zero makes any product equal to zero!

Q: What if I tried to divide both sides by 15?

Great thinking! Dividing gives us $ ? = \frac{0}{15} = 0 $. This is another way to see that the answer must be zero.

Q: Does this work for any number, not just 15?

Absolutely! The zero property works for every number. Whether it's $ 7 \times ? = 0 $ or $ 100 \times ? = 0 $, the answer is always zero.

Q: What if the equation was 0 × ? = 15 instead?

That equation has no solution! Since $ 0 \times \text{anything} = 0 $, we can never get 15 as the result. Zero times any number is always zero.

Q: How is this different from addition equations like ? + 15 = 0?

In addition, we subtract: $ ? = 0 - 15 = -15 $. But in multiplication with zero, the answer is always zero regardless of the other number!

Zero Property of Multiplication with Missing Factors

$15\times?=0$

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Step-by-step video solution

Watch the teacher solve the problem with clear explanations

00:00 Find the unknown

00:03 0 multiplied by any number always equals 0

00:08 And this is the solution to the question

Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution

Understand the problem

$15\times?=0$

Step-by-step solution

To solve this problem, let's follow these steps:

Understand that the equation $15 \times ? = 0$ implies we are finding a number that, when multiplied by 15, gives zero.
Using the basic property of multiplication, we know that any number multiplied by zero equals zero.
Therefore, in this equation, if the product is zero, the unknown number must be zero.

Checking the given choices, the correct choice that represents this solution is $\boxed{0}$ .

Thus, we conclude that the solution to the problem is $0$ .

Final Answer

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic

Zero Property: Any number multiplied by zero equals zero
Technique: If $a \times b = 0$ , then either a = 0 or b = 0
Check: Substitute back: $15 \times 0 = 0$ ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors

Thinking the answer is 15 because it appears in the equation
Don't assume the missing number equals 15 just because 15 is given = 15 × 15 = 225, not 0! This ignores the zero property completely. Always remember that only zero multiplied by any number gives zero as the product.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

$1\times1000=$

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

Why can't the answer be 1 since 1 is the identity for multiplication?

The identity property says $a \times 1 = a$ , so $15 \times 1 = 15$ , not 0. Only zero makes any product equal to zero!

What if I tried to divide both sides by 15?

Great thinking! Dividing gives us $? = \frac{0}{15} = 0$ . This is another way to see that the answer must be zero.

Does this work for any number, not just 15?

Absolutely! The zero property works for every number. Whether it's $7 \times ? = 0$ or $100 \times ? = 0$ , the answer is always zero.

What if the equation was 0 × ? = 15 instead?

That equation has no solution! Since $0 \times \text{anything} = 0$ , we can never get 15 as the result. Zero times any number is always zero.

How is this different from addition equations like ? + 15 = 0?

In addition, we subtract: $? = 0 - 15 = -15$ . But in multiplication with zero, the answer is always zero regardless of the other number!

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