Math is Figure-Out-Able!

#MathStratChat - July 31, 2024

Pam Harris

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on July 31, 2024. 


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

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Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education


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

Pam  00:00

Hey, fellow mathers! Welcome to the podcast where Math is Figure-Out-Able! I'm Pam.

 

Kim  00:07

And I'm Kim.

 

Pam  00:07

This is a MathStratChat episode where we chat about our math strategies because every Wednesday evening, I throw out a math problem on social media, and people from around the world chat about the strategies they use, and comment on each other's thinking. 

 

Kim  00:20

Okay, this Wednesday, our problem was 24 times 12.5. 

 

Pam  00:24

Bam! 

 

Kim  00:25

Yeah. How would you solve this problem? Pause the podcast. Solve the problem any way that you want. The problem is 24 times 12.5.

 

Pam  00:35

You can do it You can do it. 

 

Kim  00:36

Oh, goodness. 

 

Pam  00:37

Alright, ya'll go solve it and come back. Kim, I'm going to go first this time. 

 

Kim  00:39

Okie doke.

 

Pam  00:40

I'm going to be you. In the last week's episode, I feel like you did some doubling and halving, and that's just really tugging on me today because of that 12.5. So, I'm going to double the 12.5 to get 25, which means I'm going to halve the 24 to get 12. And then I'm going to do it again. So, I guess I could have quadrupled quartered, but I didn't think to.

 

Kim  01:01

Yeah. 

 

Pam  01:01

So, I'm going to double 25 to get 50, and I'm going to halve the 12 to get 6. I could stop there because 6 times 50 is 300. I could keep going, and get 3 times 100. Which is also 300. Okay. I stole that one because that I wasn't sure what else to do. 

 

Kim  01:15

What did you get for your answer? 

 

Pam  01:18

300.

 

Kim  01:19

What did you say? 300?

 

Pam  01:20

Yeah. No? Yeah? 

 

Kim  01:23

Oh, yeah, yeah. Okay,

 

Pam  01:26

Alright, which?

 

Kim  01:28

Well, I wish you wouldn't have stole what I wanted to do, but I'll live. And I'm thinking about like large chunks of 12.5 that I know. 

 

Pam  01:35

Okay.

 

Kim  01:35

So, I just started ratio table that was 1 to 12.5.

 

Pam  01:39

Mmm, mmhm.

 

Kim  01:41

And so, 10 of them would be 125.

 

Pam  01:43

Mmhm.

 

Kim  01:44

And then I doubled it to say 20 would be 250. So, twenty 12.5 (unclear).

 

Pam  01:50

Nice. Mmhm. 

 

Kim  01:51

And I need 4 more 12.5s, which is 50. So, then I'm going to add the 250 and the 50 to get 300.

 

Pam  02:01

Nice. Can I do one more that I just thought about?

 

Kim  02:04

Sure. 

 

Pam  02:05

So, I'm going to think about 12.5 times 24. So, I kind of use the community property. And I'm going to think about that as one-eighth of 24

 

Kim  02:14

Oh! 

 

Pam  02:15

You like that? 

 

Kim  02:16

Yeah. 

 

Pam  02:17

Because when I doubled... So, I doubled and halved first. That was totally my first instinct. But when I got to the 25, something about like 25 kicked me about a fourth.

 

Kim  02:24

Yeah.

 

Pam  02:24

And I thought, "Well, if I know a fourth of 24, then I could figure out half of that." That's actually the next thing I was going to do. But then I thought, "Wait, if I just did half of a fourth isn't that an eighth?" So, an eighth of 24 is 3, but then I have to scale it up times 100, so 300. I'm kind of happy. I'm happy I saw that one. (unclear)

 

Kim  02:40

(unclear) I love that one. Yeah.

 

Pam  02:42

Alright, cool.

 

Kim  02:43

We can't wait to see what you do each week on MathStratChat, so join us and let us know how you think about the problems, and comment on each other's strategies.

 

Pam  02:52

Yeah, and we post the problems on Wednesdays around 7pm Central time. When you answer, tag me and use the hashtag MathStratChat. Then join us here to hear how we're thinking about the problem. We love having you as part of the Math is Figure-Out-Able movement because Math is Figure-Out-Able!