Asterisk Symbol

Symbol	Format	Data
*	Code Point	U+002A
	TeX	*
	SVG	Download ↓

The asterisk symbol is used in computing to represent the multiplication operator. Typically, the symbol is used in an expression like this:

4*5

In plain language, the expression represents multiplied by when entered into a calculator.

The asterisk symbol is also used to represent the convolution operation. See 3Blue1Brown’s excellent video here.

Times | Symbol

The times symbol represents the cross product operator. It is also common for the symbol to represent multiplication when it is first introduced.

Multiplication Computing Notation

When entering an expression in a computer multiplication is represented using the asterisk symbol.