Math is Figure-Out-Able with Pam Harris

#MathStratChat - May 24, 2023

May 24, 2023 Pam Harris
Math is Figure-Out-Able with Pam Harris
#MathStratChat - May 24, 2023
Show Notes Transcript

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on May 24, 2023. 


Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies.


Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education


Want more? Check out the archive of all of our #MathStratChat posts!

Pam  0:01  
Hey, fellow mathematicians! Welcome to the podcast where Math is Figure-Out-Able! I'm Pam Harris.

Kim  0:07  
And I'm Kim Montague.

Pam  0:09  
And this episode is a MathStratChat episode where we chat about math strategies. Every Wednesday evening, I throw out a math problem on social media and people from around the world chat about the strategies they use. We love seeing everyone's thinking.

Kim  0:24  
So, today, we are talking about the problem from last Wednesday. And that problem is 76 times 24. How would you solve this problem?

Pam  0:33  
Wait, wait. 76 times 44.

Kim  0:36  
Oh. I'm solving a new problem. 76 times 44. Thank you for listening. Oh, gosh. Pause the podcast and solve the problem, people.

Pam  0:50  
And then, come back and hear how we solved it. So (unclear).

Kim  0:54  
76 times 44. 

Pam  0:56  
Go! Okay, that's funny. Alright.

Kim  1:01  
You go, I'll stop laughing.

Pam  1:02  
I'm going to go first. I'm going to go first while you're laughing. That was hilarious. We're terrible at this. Somebody said to me the other day, "Do you guys re-record those beginnings of it?" Yes. Just listen, and you'll hear how they never sound the same because we re-record every time. Okay. 76 is screaming to me 75, which screams to me quarters. So, I was thinking about a quarter of 44. So, if I think about a quarter of 44, that is... In fact, I'm going to be honest with you. I was actually thinking about three-quarters of 44 because I can kind of. I don't know, that just feels like 33 to me. And then, I thought, "Well, let me just make sure. So, a quarter 44 is 11. Sure enough, three-quarters of 44 is 33. So, therefore, 75 times 44 would be 3,300. Because I'm scaling up times 100. So, if seventy-five 44s is 3,300. Here's the hard part. I got to have seventy-six 44s. Got to add one more 44. So, 3,300 and 44 is 3,344. Bam! That might be one of my favorite things to do ever.

Kim  2:05  
Where you just put two pieces together that just slide really nice together?

Pam  2:08  
Just slide, yeah. Once you have 3,300 and 44. It's like, "Gee, what are those?" There it is? Yep. Nice. 

Kim  2:15  
That's awesome. 

Both Pam and Kim  2:16  
Cool. 

Pam  2:16  
What were you doing if you didn't do that? Besides laughing about the problem.

Kim  2:21  
I know,

Gosh. You know what? Actually, I chose not to go quarter route. And I just wanted to see kind of what else I wanted to do.

Pam  2:32  
Okay.

Kim  2:32  
So, I decided to do Doubling and Halving. 

Pam  2:37  
Whoa, not what I expected. Okay.

Kim  2:39  
I know. Well, and here's the thing. Because I knew from the 44 that it would get me to 11 really quickly. And that's just a ten and a one. So, I wrote down 76 times 44, which is equivalent to Double, Halve, 152 times 22.

Pam  2:57  
Mmhmm.

Kim  2:58  
Double, Halve is 304 times 11. 

Pam  3:02  
Nice, nice.

Kim  3:03  
And then, I just have 304 times 10, which is 3,040. And then, 304 times 1 which is 304. And that's 3,344.

Pam  3:16  
Nice. Nice. That was slick. Yours almost slides together as nice as mine. 3,040 plus 304. 

Kim  3:23  
Yeah. 

Pam  3:24  
3,344. That's sweet. Yeah. Nice.

Kim  3:27  
Very "add left to right for me". Yeah.

Pam  3:30  
Yes, yes. We need to talk maybe more about that at some point, the whole add to left... add right...yeah, blah. That thing.

Kim  3:39  
Alright. What a mess we are today.

Pam  3:41  
A little bit.

Kim  3:42  
Well, we can't wait to see your strategy. I wonder if it's like one of ours or something different. Because there's lots of cool ways to solve problems.

Pam  3:49  
Mmhmm.

Kim  3:49  
Represent your thinking, and take a picture of your work or screenshot your phone, and tell the world on social media. And while you're there, check out what other people did and comment on their thinking as well.

Pam  3:59  
Yeah, and tag me on Twitter at @PWHarris. Or Instagram, PamHarris_ math. And on Facebook, Math is Figure-Out-Able. And use the hashtag MathStratChat. And make sure you check out our MathStratChat problem that we post every Wednesday around 7 p.m. Central Standard Time, and then pop back here to hear what we're thinking about the problem. We love having you as part of the Math is Figure-Out-Able movement. Let's keep spreading the word that Math is Figure-Out-Able!

Transcribed by https://otter.ai