How to multiply two Arrays in JavaScript?

In JavaScript, multiplying two arrays means performing element-wise multiplication, where each element at the same index in both arrays is multiplied together. This creates a new array with the products.

Element-wise Array Multiplication

When multiplying arrays, we iterate through corresponding indices and multiply the values at those positions:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Array Multiplication</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Multiply Two Arrays</h1>
    <div id="arrays"></div>
    <div id="result"></div>
    <button onclick="multiplyArrays()">Multiply Arrays</button>

    <script>
        let arr1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
        let arr2 = [2, 3, 4, 5, 6];
        
        document.getElementById('arrays').innerHTML = 
            `Array 1: [${arr1}]<br>Array 2: [${arr2}]`;
        
        function multiplyArrays() {
            let result = [];
            let minLength = Math.min(arr1.length, arr2.length);
            
            for (let i = 0; i < minLength; i++) {
                result[i] = arr1[i] * arr2[i];
            }
            
            document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = 
                `Multiplied Array: [${result}]`;
        }
    </script>
</body>
</html>

Using map() Method

A more functional approach uses the map() method for cleaner code:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Array Multiplication with map()</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Array Multiplication Using map()</h1>
    <div id="output"></div>

    <script>
        function multiplyArraysWithMap(array1, array2) {
            let minLength = Math.min(array1.length, array2.length);
            return array1.slice(0, minLength).map((val, index) => val * array2[index]);
        }
        
        let numbers1 = [10, 20, 30, 40];
        let numbers2 = [2, 3, 4, 5, 6];
        let multiplied = multiplyArraysWithMap(numbers1, numbers2);
        
        document.getElementById('output').innerHTML = `
            <p>Array 1: [${numbers1}]</p>
            <p>Array 2: [${numbers2}]</p>
            <p>Result: [${multiplied}]</p>
        `;
    </script>
</body>
</html>

Handling Different Array Lengths

When arrays have different lengths, we multiply only the overlapping elements:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Different Length Arrays</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Multiplying Arrays of Different Lengths</h1>
    <div id="demo"></div>

    <script>
        let shortArray = [1, 2, 3];
        let longArray = [5, 10, 15, 20, 25];
        
        function safeMultiply(arr1, arr2) {
            let result = [];
            let length = Math.min(arr1.length, arr2.length);
            
            for (let i = 0; i < length; i++) {
                result.push(arr1[i] * arr2[i]);
            }
            
            return result;
        }
        
        let product = safeMultiply(shortArray, longArray);
        
        document.getElementById('demo').innerHTML = `
            <p>Short Array: [${shortArray}] (length: ${shortArray.length})</p>
            <p>Long Array: [${longArray}] (length: ${longArray.length})</p>
            <p>Multiplied: [${product}] (length: ${product.length})</p>
            <p>Note: Only first ${Math.min(shortArray.length, longArray.length)} elements multiplied</p>
        `;
    </script>
</body>
</html>

Comparison of Methods

Method Readability Performance Best For
For Loop Good Fast Large arrays, performance-critical code
map() Method Excellent Slightly slower Functional programming, cleaner code

Conclusion

Array multiplication in JavaScript performs element-wise multiplication of corresponding indices. Use for loops for performance or map() for cleaner, functional code. Always handle different array lengths appropriately.

Updated on: 2026-03-15T23:18:59+05:30

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