Calculating five times the number 3

To calculate five times the number 3, you use multiplication, specifically multiplying 3 by 5. Multiplication here means you are taking the value of 3 and combining it five times, which scales the number up proportionally. Think of it as adding 3 five separate times: 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3. Performing the operation 3 * 5 accomplishes this in a single step. The expression 15 captures this calculation, so when you substitute any value for 3, evaluating 3 * 5 will give you five times that original number.