1. Mathematical history and cultural factors: multiplication existed in ancient mathematics. In ancient Greece and Rome, people usually use the letter "M" (or "M") to represent multiplication, which comes from the Latin word "multiplicatio", which means "multiplication". However, using letters to represent multiplication is easy to cause ambiguity, especially when multiple letters are connected together. Therefore, people began to look for clearer symbols to represent multiplication.
2. Convenience and clarity: When looking for better symbols to represent multiplication, people began to consider the convenience and clarity of symbols. Symbols need to be concise and easy to remember, and can clearly express the concept of multiplication. As a result, people began to use some special symbols to represent multiplication, including the multiplication symbol "×".
3. Origin of multiplication sign: The multiplication sign "×" first appeared in16th century. Some historical documents show that rene descartes, a French mathematician, may be the first person to use the symbol "x" to represent multiplication. In his book Coordinate Geometry published by 1637, he used "x" to represent multiplication for the first time instead of the letter "m" used before.
His aim is to express multiplication clearly and avoid confusion with letters. Renee Descartes' innovation has had a wide influence in the field of mathematics, and the multiplication symbol "×" has gradually been accepted and widely used.
4. Competition of other symbols: Before the multiplication symbol "×" appeared, some other symbols were proposed to represent multiplication, such as dots and asterisks. However, these symbols have not been widely recognized and applied in mathematics as "×". The multiplication symbol "×" is not only concise and clear, but also suitable for writing and printing, so it has gradually become the standard symbol representing multiplication.
To sum up, the multiplication symbol "×", as a symbol of multiplication, was produced under the historical and cultural background of mathematical development. Its appearance stems from mathematicians' pursuit of convenience and clarity, and it is also subject to competition from other possible symbols at that time. The introduction of this symbol makes the multiplication operation more accurate and clear in mathematics, and it has been widely used in later development.