Math is Figure-Out-Able!
Math teacher educator Pam Harris and her cohost Kim Montague answer the question: If not algorithms, then what? Join them for ~15-30 minutes every Tuesday as they cast their vision for mathematics education and give actionable items to help teachers teach math that is Figure-Out-Able. See www.MathisFigureOutAble.com for more great resources!
Math is Figure-Out-Able!
#MathStratChat - July 24, 2024
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!