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 - December 18, 2024
In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on December 18, 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 00:06
And I'm Kim.
Pam 00:07
And this is a math strat chat episode because we're going to 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 we love it when you comment on each other's thinking.
Kim 00:21
Okay, so this past Wednesday, our problem was five-sixths minus three-fourths. How would you solve this problem? Pause the podcast. Solve however you'd like. The problem was five-sixths minus three-fourths.
Pam 00:34
Huh. Can I go first?
Kim 00:36
Sure.
Pam 00:38
Okay, I'm thinking about time on a clock. And so, five-sixths on a clock is in the same place as ten-twelfths. So, that's like kind of like the 10:00 on a clock. So, if I'm at 10:00 for five-sixths. And three-fourths of an hour is like the 9:00.
Kim 01:03
Mmhm.
Pam 01:05
So, I'm going to think about this five-sixths minus three-fourths as the difference between those.
Kim 01:10
Mmhm.
Pam 01:11
So, the difference between 10:00 and 9:00 is a five minute chunk. 5 out of 60. So, I'm saying it's five-sixtieths. Or one-twelfth. Yeah. Or one-twelfth. One of those five minute chunks is a twelfth on the clock.
Kim 01:28
Yeah. I also thought about time. I'm not sure if it's kind of what you were saying because you said something about the 10 and the 9. I wasn't really thinking about the 10 and the 9. I was kind of thinking about 50 minutes out of 60 minutes. Like, I was thinking about the total number of minutes.
Pam 01:47
Yep.
Kim 01:47
And I know three-fourths of the 60 minutes is 45 minutes.
Pam 01:51
Mmhm.
Kim 01:52
So, 50 minutes minus 45 minutes is 5 minutes out of the 60 minutes. So, that's a twelfth
Pam 01:59
And do you think when you thought about that 50 minus 45 you thought about subtracting?
Kim 02:04
No, I found difference, for sure.
Pam 02:06
You were thinking about difference.
Kim 02:07
Mmhm.
Pam 02:07
Why do you think we both found difference for five-sixths minus three-fourths?
Kim 02:13
Because they're so close together (unclear).
Pam 02:15
Which makes sense, yeah?
Kim 02:17
Yeah.
Pam 02:17
Yeah. When they're close together, just find that how far apart they are?
Kim 02:21
Yeah.
Pam 02:22
Alright, cool. I like it. Excellent.
Kim 02:24
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. And comment on each other's strategies.
Pam 02:32
We post the problems on Wednesday around 7:00 pm Central. When you answer, tag me and use the hashtag MathStratChat. Then, join us to hear how we're thinking about the problem. We love having you as part of the Math is Figure-Out-Able movement. Thanks for helping math more figure-out-able.