How do computers multiply?

Computers multiply numbers using a binary system, where they represent values as sequences of 0s and 1s. The multiplication process often employs algorithms like the shift-and-add method or the more efficient Booth's algorithm. These methods perform bitwise operations, shifting bits to the left to multiply by powers of two, while adding results together to achieve the final product. Modern processors also utilize dedicated hardware, like multipliers, to perform these calculations rapidly.