  Stars form from dense molecular cores, and the mass function of these cores
(the CMF) is often found to be similar to the form of the stellar initial mass
function (IMF). This suggests that the form of the IMF is the result of the
form of the CMF. However, most stars are thought to form in binary and multiple
systems, therefore the relationship between the IMF and the CMF cannot be
trivial. We test two star formation scenarios - one in which all stars form as
binary or triple systems, and one in which low-mass stars form in a
predominantly single mode. We show that from a log-normal CMF, similar to those
observed, and expected on theoretical grounds, the model in which all stars
form as multiples gives a better fit to the IMF.
