For 2-D Math

In general, the best practice is to enter a multiplication symbol (*) for multiplication in any calculation.  In some cases, you can instead insert a space character between two quantities to multiply them.  This is called implicit multiplication.

For a product containing integers and decimals, implicit multiplication can be used only if the number occurs in the left-most position in the product. For products of numbers, use explicit multiplication ($\mathbf{\cdot }$), entered by using the asterisk (*) symbol on your keyboard. However, you can use implicit multiplication for products containing fractions.

Example 1

Example 2

All of the errors shown in these examples are due to the rule that a number cannot appear as the right-hand operand of an implicit multiplication operation. In such cases, use of explicit multiplication (*) can avoid the error.  For more information, see 2DMathDetails.

Tip: Troubleshooting your mathematics is easier if you use explicit multiplication symbols.

2Dmath, 2DMathDetails, floating-point numbers