What does the *= operator mean in programming?

Hello Anna, really nice question.

*= is just a shortcut for multiplying a variable by something and then storing the new value back into that same variable. It follows the same pattern as +=, which adds to the existing value.

So instead of writing:

x = x * 5

you can write:

x *= 5

Both do exactly the same thing — the second one is just shorter and easier to read once you get used to it.

If you have further questions, I'm here to help.