(1) \( 8 * 67= \)

Did you know that the multiplication symbol we use today was popularized by the mathematician William Oughtred in the 17th century? Before that, people often used the "x" symbol or even just a simple dot to represent multiplication. So, every time you see an asterisk, you’re traveling back to a time when math symbols were evolving! As for the actual calculation, \( 8 * 67 = 536 \). A cool way to double-check is to break it down: \( 8 * (60 + 7) = 8 * 60 + 8 * 7 = 480 + 56 = 536 \). This method of breaking numbers apart is called the distributive property, and it can make math easier and more fun!