multiplicative

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a nounmathematicstechnical

   Involving or produced by multiplication, so that quantities are combined by being multiplied rather than added.

   Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: a multiplicative effect, a multiplicative model.

   Patterns

   • a multiplicative relationship between things

   In a multiplicative model, each factor scales the result instead of adding a fixed amount.

   Compound interest has a multiplicative effect on savings over many years.

   The multiplicative inverse of 4 is one quarter.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounfigurative

   Describing a combined effect that is much larger than the separate effects added together, because the factors strengthen each other.

   Grammar: Used loosely in everyday and business writing: a multiplicative impact.

   Patterns

   • have a multiplicative effect on something

   Poor sleep and heavy stress can have a multiplicative effect on health problems.

   Good teaching and small class sizes together produce a multiplicative gain in learning.

Common combinations

multiplicative effect

Advertising and word of mouth together had a multiplicative effect on sales.

multiplicative inverse

The multiplicative inverse of 5 is one fifth.

multiplicative model

Analysts used a multiplicative model to forecast seasonal demand.

multiplicative identity

The number one is the multiplicative identity because multiplying by it changes nothing.

multiplicative growth

Bacteria show multiplicative growth when each cell divides in two.

Synonyms and how they differ

exponential

Exponential describes growth where the rate itself keeps increasing, while multiplicative only says that things combine by multiplication.

compounding

Compounding stresses that earlier gains build on later ones, whereas multiplicative is the wider technical term for any product relationship.

Opposites

Word family

multiply verb

to increase in number, or to perform multiplication

multiplication noun

the arithmetic operation of multiplying

multiplier noun

a number that another is multiplied by

multiplicity noun

a large number or variety of things

Commonly confused: multiplicative or multiplicity?

Practice

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