diff --git a/gtsam/discrete/DecisionTreeFactor.h b/gtsam/discrete/DecisionTreeFactor.h
index 4da5a7c17..716c43b63 100644
--- a/gtsam/discrete/DecisionTreeFactor.h
+++ b/gtsam/discrete/DecisionTreeFactor.h
@@ -164,6 +164,12 @@ namespace gtsam {
     virtual DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr multiply(
         const DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr& f) const override;
 
+    /// multiply with a scalar
+    DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr operator*(double s) const override {
+      return std::make_shared<DecisionTreeFactor>(
+          apply([s](const double& a) { return Ring::mul(a, s); }));
+    }
+
     /// multiply two factors
     DecisionTreeFactor operator*(const DecisionTreeFactor& f) const override {
       return apply(f, Ring::mul);
@@ -201,6 +207,9 @@ namespace gtsam {
       return combine(keys, Ring::add);
     }
 
+    /// Find the maximum value in the factor.
+    double max() const override { return ADT::max(); };
+
     /// Create new factor by maximizing over all values with the same separator.
     DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr max(size_t nrFrontals) const override {
       return combine(nrFrontals, Ring::max);
diff --git a/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteFactor.cpp b/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteFactor.cpp
index faae02af2..61b4c135c 100644
--- a/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteFactor.cpp
+++ b/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteFactor.cpp
@@ -73,10 +73,7 @@ AlgebraicDecisionTree<Key> DiscreteFactor::errorTree() const {
 
 /* ************************************************************************ */
 DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr DiscreteFactor::scale() const {
-  // Max over all the potentials by pretending all keys are frontal:
-  shared_ptr denominator = this->max(this->size());
-  // Normalize the product factor to prevent underflow.
-  return this->operator/(denominator);
+  return this->operator*(1.0 / max());
 }
 
 }  // namespace gtsam
diff --git a/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteFactor.h b/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteFactor.h
index fafb4dbf5..6fa074379 100644
--- a/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteFactor.h
+++ b/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteFactor.h
@@ -126,6 +126,9 @@ class GTSAM_EXPORT DiscreteFactor : public Factor {
   /// Compute error for each assignment and return as a tree
   virtual AlgebraicDecisionTree<Key> errorTree() const;
 
+  /// Multiply with a scalar
+  virtual DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr operator*(double s) const = 0;
+
   /// Multiply in a DecisionTreeFactor and return the result as
   /// DecisionTreeFactor
   virtual DecisionTreeFactor operator*(const DecisionTreeFactor&) const = 0;
@@ -152,6 +155,9 @@ class GTSAM_EXPORT DiscreteFactor : public Factor {
   /// Create new factor by summing all values with the same separator values
   virtual DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr sum(const Ordering& keys) const = 0;
 
+  /// Find the maximum value in the factor.
+  virtual double max() const = 0;
+
   /// Create new factor by maximizing over all values with the same separator.
   virtual DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr max(size_t nrFrontals) const = 0;
 
diff --git a/gtsam/discrete/TableDistribution.cpp b/gtsam/discrete/TableDistribution.cpp
index e8696c5b1..ce0d92bff 100644
--- a/gtsam/discrete/TableDistribution.cpp
+++ b/gtsam/discrete/TableDistribution.cpp
@@ -110,6 +110,11 @@ DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr TableDistribution::max(const Ordering& keys) const {
   return table_.max(keys);
 }
 
+/* ****************************************************************************/
+DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr TableDistribution::operator*(double s) const {
+  return table_ * s;
+}
+
 /* ****************************************************************************/
 DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr TableDistribution::operator/(
     const DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr& f) const {
diff --git a/gtsam/discrete/TableDistribution.h b/gtsam/discrete/TableDistribution.h
index 72786a515..8e28bed5f 100644
--- a/gtsam/discrete/TableDistribution.h
+++ b/gtsam/discrete/TableDistribution.h
@@ -116,12 +116,19 @@ class GTSAM_EXPORT TableDistribution : public DiscreteConditional {
   /// Create new factor by summing all values with the same separator values
   DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr sum(const Ordering& keys) const override;
 
+  /// Find the maximum value in the factor.
+  double max() const override { return table_.max(); }
+
   /// Create new factor by maximizing over all values with the same separator.
   DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr max(size_t nrFrontals) const override;
 
   /// Create new factor by maximizing over all values with the same separator.
   DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr max(const Ordering& keys) const override;
 
+
+  /// Multiply by scalar s
+  DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr operator*(double s) const override;
+
   /// divide by DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr f (safely)
   DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr operator/(
       const DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr& f) const override;
diff --git a/gtsam/discrete/TableFactor.cpp b/gtsam/discrete/TableFactor.cpp
index d1cedc9ef..25acae06e 100644
--- a/gtsam/discrete/TableFactor.cpp
+++ b/gtsam/discrete/TableFactor.cpp
@@ -389,6 +389,36 @@ void TableFactor::print(const string& s, const KeyFormatter& formatter) const {
   cout << "number of nnzs: " << sparse_table_.nonZeros() << endl;
 }
 
+/* ************************************************************************ */
+DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr TableFactor::sum(size_t nrFrontals) const {
+return combine(nrFrontals, Ring::add);
+}
+
+/* ************************************************************************ */
+DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr TableFactor::sum(const Ordering& keys) const {
+return combine(keys, Ring::add);
+}
+
+/* ************************************************************************ */
+double TableFactor::max() const {
+  double max_value = std::numeric_limits<double>::lowest();
+  for (Eigen::SparseVector<double>::InnerIterator it(sparse_table_); it; ++it) {
+    max_value = std::max(max_value, it.value());
+  }
+  return max_value;
+}
+
+/* ************************************************************************ */
+DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr TableFactor::max(size_t nrFrontals) const {
+  return combine(nrFrontals, Ring::max);
+}
+
+/* ************************************************************************ */
+DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr TableFactor::max(const Ordering& keys) const {
+  return combine(keys, Ring::max);
+}
+
+
 /* ************************************************************************ */
 TableFactor TableFactor::apply(Unary op) const {
   // Initialize new factor.
diff --git a/gtsam/discrete/TableFactor.h b/gtsam/discrete/TableFactor.h
index 1cb9eda8b..ce58d14bc 100644
--- a/gtsam/discrete/TableFactor.h
+++ b/gtsam/discrete/TableFactor.h
@@ -171,6 +171,12 @@ class GTSAM_EXPORT TableFactor : public DiscreteFactor {
   /// Calculate error for DiscreteValues `x`, is -log(probability).
   double error(const DiscreteValues& values) const override;
 
+  /// multiply with a scalar
+  DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr operator*(double s) const override {
+    return std::make_shared<TableFactor>(
+        apply([s](const double& a) { return Ring::mul(a, s); }));
+  }
+
   /// multiply two TableFactors
   TableFactor operator*(const TableFactor& f) const {
     return apply(f, Ring::mul);
@@ -215,24 +221,19 @@ class GTSAM_EXPORT TableFactor : public DiscreteFactor {
                      DiscreteKeys parent_keys) const;
 
   /// Create new factor by summing all values with the same separator values
-  DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr sum(size_t nrFrontals) const override {
-    return combine(nrFrontals, Ring::add);
-  }
+  DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr sum(size_t nrFrontals) const override;
 
   /// Create new factor by summing all values with the same separator values
-  DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr sum(const Ordering& keys) const override {
-    return combine(keys, Ring::add);
-  }
+  DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr sum(const Ordering& keys) const override;
+
+  /// Find the maximum value in the factor.
+  double max() const override;
 
   /// Create new factor by maximizing over all values with the same separator.
-  DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr max(size_t nrFrontals) const override {
-    return combine(nrFrontals, Ring::max);
-  }
+  DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr max(size_t nrFrontals) const override;
 
   /// Create new factor by maximizing over all values with the same separator.
-  DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr max(const Ordering& keys) const override {
-    return combine(keys, Ring::max);
-  }
+  DiscreteFactor::shared_ptr max(const Ordering& keys) const override;
 
   /// @}
   /// @name Advanced Interface