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 - June 10, 2026
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In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on June 10, 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 math-ers! Welcome to the podcast where Math is Figure-Out-Able. I'm Pam Harris.
Kim 0:07
And I'm Kim Montague.
Pam 0:09
And this is a MathStratChat episode. I got it that time. 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. Thanks for commenting on each other's thinking. We love that, by the way.
Kim 0:23
Oh, that's the best. Alright, so this week our problem was 24 times 750. How would you solve this problem? Pause, solve it however you'd like, and then come on back to hear how we're going to solve it. 24 times 750.
Pam 0:36
Okay, I've been hearing you do this factor stuff, so I kind of want to like think about that. 750 reminds me of 75. And I know that twice 75 is 150 and twice 150 is 300. So, I have this desire to multiply 750 times 4 to get 3,000.
Kim 0:59
Mmhm.
Pam 1:00
So, that's having me look at the 24. And I want to pull a 4 out of that. Times 6. So, 4 times 750 is 3,000. And I'm left with 3,000 times 6. 3,000 times 6 is 18,000.
Kim 1:18
Say that one more time. You did...You pulled out a 4, so you ended up with factoring 6 and 4 for the 24.
Pam 1:24
Yeah, so I ended up with 6 times 4 times 750.
Kim 1:27
And what did you get for 4 times 750?
Pam 1:29
3,000.
Kim 1:33
Okay. Sorry, I just didn't hear you. So you got 6 times 3,000. Interestingly, I did as well, but in a different way. So, I double halved, and I got 24 times 750. And then I halved 24 to get 12. And I doubled 750 to get 1,500. And then I did it again, and I got 6 times 3,000. And that's 18,000.
Pam 1:59
Bam. It's interesting to me now in my life that I recognize numbers like 750 that if I double them, they will turn into a nice number. That did not used to be part of my repertoire. (unclear).
Kim 2:11
Yeah. I like that you explained that that's what you were going for. Like, I think sometimes I wonder with flexible factoring if people think... I don't know. Like, maybe we don't talk a lot about I'm going after it. Like, I'm going to find what I'm looking for, what I want it to be.
Pam 2:32
Yeah.
Kim 2:33
Anyway, alright. Well, we can't wait to see what you do every week. Join us on MathStratChat and let us know how you think about the problems. But most importantly, comment on each other's strategies.
Pam 2:41
Love that. Y'all,we post the problems on Wednesdays around 7:00 p.m. central. When you answer, tag me and use the hashtag MathStrapChat. Then join us here to hear how we're thinking about the problem. Y'all, thanks for being part of the Math is Figure-Out-Able movement! Math is Figure-Out-Able!