Most, but not all, contests compute the final score as the product of QSO points and a tally of zones,
countries, prefixes or other unique characteristics. Since they impact the score multiplicatively, this second item is
called the multiplier. For example, in the November Sweepstakes contest, the multiplier is the number of unique ARRL sections worked (maximum of 80). Thus when a new (e.g., unique) section is worked, it has a greater impact on the final score. As always, check contest rules carefully for what constitutes a multiplier.
