Math is Figure-Out-Able!

#MathStratChat - July 24, 2024

Pam Harris, Kim Montague

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

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

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 Harris.

 

Kim  00:06

And I'm Kim Montague.

 

Pam  00:07

And this episode is a MathStratChat episode where we chat about our 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 and comment on each other's thinking.

 

Kim  00:20

Okay, so this Wednesday, our problem was 125 times 32. How would you solve this problem? Pause. Solve the problem any way you want. The problem is 125 times 32

 

Pam  00:34

Alright, Kim. Flip a coin. You? Me?

 

Kim  00:37

You can go. 

 

Pam  00:38

Alright. I am going to think about one hundred 32s plus twenty-five 32s. 

 

Kim  00:47

Okie dokie. 

 

Pam  00:48

One hundred 32s is 3200. And I'm going to think about twenty-five 32s as a quarter of 32. 0.25 times 32. And a quarter of 32 is 8. Because 8 times 4 is 32. But I really want not 0.25 times 32. I want 100 times that. So, it's not 800. And so 3200 and 800 is 4,000. 

 

Kim  01:11

Nice. 

 

Pam  01:12

I did that kind of fast. Is that right? Is that what you got? Okay. 

 

Kim  01:16

Yeah.

 

Pam  01:16

Alright. What are you going to do? 

 

Kim  01:17

Yep, I want to think about one hundred twenty-five 32s a little more simply. So instead of...

 

Pam  01:26

It's complicated?

 

Kim  01:28

I mean, it's not complicated, but it's it could be (unclear).

 

Pam  01:31

Alright, you be more simple. You be more... Oh, better. Okay, you be better than me. Go ahead. Go ahead. 

 

Kim  01:35

So, instead of thinking about 32, I'm gonna think about 16, and so I'm going to think about two hundred and fifty 16s. 

 

Pam  01:45

So, twice as many groups that are half as big.

 

Kim  01:47

Half as big, yeah.

 

Pam  01:48

Okay. 

 

Kim  01:48

And then I don't actually know that one off the top my head, so I'm going to then think about five hundred 8s. I'm going to double again. (unclear). And I'm going to stop there because I know 500 times 8 because I know 5 times 8 is 40, so 500 times 8 is 4,000

 

Pam  02:05

But you could have gone 1 more, and (unclear) it to get 1,000 times 4. 

 

Kim  02:09

Yeah.

 

Pam  02:09

Which would also be 4,000. Nice.

 

Kim  02:10

Yeah.

 

Pam  02:11

Alright, cool. I like it. Alright. (unclear).

 

Kim  02:13

We can't wait to see what you do each week. Join us on MathStratChat, and let us know how you think about the problems that Pam puts out to the world. And even better, comment on each other's strategies. 

 

Pam  02:24

We love it when you comment on each other strategies! Ya'll, 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 moment, movement.

 

Kim  02:39

Yabba dabba do!

 

Pam  02:41

Math is Figure-Out-Able movement because Math is Figure-Out-Able. Bam!