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 - February 25, 2026
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In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on February 25, 2026.
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
Pam 0:00
Hey, fellow mathers! Welcome to the podcast where Math is Figure-Out-Able. I'm Pam.
Kim 0:06
And I'm Kim.
Pam 0:07
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. People from around the world chat about the strategies they use and comment on each other's thinking.
Kim 0:18
Okay, so this Wednesday, the math problem was 10 to the what power is 10,000? How would you solve this problem? Pause. Solve it however you want. Come on back. 10 to the what power is 10,000?
Pam 0:31
Bam. Alright. What do you got? Or do you want me to go first?
Kim 0:34
I'll go. So, the name itself, I just instantly wrote down 10 times 1,000.
Pam 0:40
Okay.
Kim 0:40
And I kind of then said if I... I don't know, I don't know. So, then I wrote down 100 times 10.
Pam 0:46
You're not happy?
Kim 0:46
I don't know. I'm tired.
Pam 0:50
Okay.
Kim 0:50
10 times 100 times 10. So, then I was like, "Oh, that's 10 times 10 times 10 times 10. 10^4.
Pam 1:00
10^4. Cool.
Kim 1:01
Yeah.
Pam 1:02
When you took my strategy of thinking about 1,000 times 10. I wrote 1,000 times 10, and then you took it. So, then I thought, "Well, from that 1,000 times 10, I can think about that... I don't know how to say this mathematically. Well, yeah, I do. I can reassociate it times 10. So, I kind of just moved a 0 over, so instead of 1,000 times 10, I had 100 times 100.
Kim 1:32
Yeah, mmhm.
Pam 1:32
And then that's 10^2 times 10^2, which is 10^4. Bam.
Kim 1:32
Way to be flexible.
Pam 1:32
Whoo!
Kim 1:32
Alright. We love seeing what you do each week. Join us on MathStratChat. Let us know how you're thinking about the problems and comment on each other's strategies. We love it.
Pam 1:38
We love it. We post the problems on Wednesdays around 7:00 Central. 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. Y'all, keep making math figure-out-able.