Math is Figure-Out-Able!

#MathStratChat - January 22, 2025

Pam Harris, Kim Montague

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on January 22, 2025. 


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.

 

Kim  00:06

And I'm Kim.

 

Pam  00:07

And this is a MathStratChat episode because 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 64 minus 48. How would you solve this problem? Pause, solve it however you'd like. The problem is 64 minus 48. Would you like to go first?

 

Pam  00:32

Yes. I'm going to go first. I'm going to find the difference between these numbers. I'm going to say 48 to 50 is 2 to 64 is 14. So, add those together, and that's 16. 

 

Kim  00:42

They are really nice for finding the distance. When I think of 48, I don't know why, but I do think of... I mean, I guess I think of eights, but I also kind of think of sixteens, which is kind of kind of weird, maybe.

 

Pam  00:56

No, no.

 

Kim  00:56

I don't know why. I don't know why, but I know that 48 is three 16s.

 

Pam  01:00

Okay.

 

Kim  01:01

And so, I also know that 64 is four 16s. 

 

Pam  01:06

Sweet.

 

Kim  01:07

So, yeah, yeah.

 

Pam  01:09

Four 16s minus three 16s. Bam.

 

Kim  01:11

Yeah.

 

Pam  01:11

You got one 16. That's very nice. I'm going to go run the eights just for fun. 

 

Kim  01:15

Yeah.

 

Pam  01:16

So, you've got eight 8s and six 8s. So, eight 8s minus six 8s is two 8s, which is also 16. Got any more factors that you can throw out?

 

Kim  01:24

I mean, yeah, you could do twos.

 

Pam  01:27

Okay, do it.

 

Kim  01:28

Just like halve it. So, 64 is thirty-two 2s, and 48 is twenty-four 2s. So, thirty-two 2s minus twenty-four 2s.

 

Pam  01:40

Is?

 

Kim  01:43

Eight 2s. Which is 16. Sorry, I didn't write anything down yet. Too many numbers!

 

Pam  01:48

Oh, gosh, you were holding all that in your head? Yeah! 

 

Kim  01:51

That's why I pause. Yeah, so eight 2s, which is 16.

 

Pam  01:55

Could you also do 4s? Is that sixteen 4s? Yeah. Minus how many 4s? Twelve 4s?

 

Kim  02:01

Mmhm. 

 

Pam  02:02

So, 60 minus 12 is four 4s, which is also 16. So, lots of really nice factoring kind of things that you could do here. Again, a super good problem to use with students that are all over the maps to suggest looking at factors. Or looking at numbers and seeing factors. 

 

Kim  02:18

Yeah.

 

Pam  02:18

Factors popping.

 

Pam and Kim  02:19

Yeah.

 

Pam  02:20

Nice. 

 

Kim  02:20

Alright, well we can't wait every single week to see what you do when you join us on MathStratChat. Let us know how you think about the problems and comment on each other's strategies.

 

Pam  02:28

We'll post the problems on Wednesday around 7:00 pm Central. And 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! Math is Figure-Out-Able!