#MathStratChat - September 23, 2026 Artwork

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!

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Math is Figure-Out-Able!

#MathStratChat - September 23, 2026

September 23, 2026 • Scott Holmes

0:00 | 4:24

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on September 23, 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

[00:00:00.610] - Pam
Hey, fellow math-ers! Welcome to the podcast where Math is Figure-Out-Able. I'm Pam Harris.

[00:00:07.940] - Kim
And I'm Kim Montague.

[00:00:09.260] - Pam
And this 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. You want to know what I'm thinking now, Kim?

[00:00:22.980] - Kim
What?

[00:00:23.700] - Pam
Sorry. The audiobook for the Developing Mathematical Reasoning: Avoiding the Trap of Algorithms, K-12 is set to release soon, and we were just listening to it. And I'm just aware of talking into a microphone again. Anyway, it's author read, right? Like I read the ebook. So.

[00:00:38.940] - Kim
Very cool. Very, very cool. I can't wait to hear it.

[00:00:41.400] - Pam
Comment on each other's thinking. Yeah, because comment on what you think about the audio. Okay.

[00:00:45.800] - Kim
Oh, very nice.

[00:00:46.620] - Pam
MathStratChat.

[00:00:47.160] - Kim
So, this week our problem was if I can buy 2.5 pounds of dark chocolate hazelnuts for $9.00, which you would buy. I would not buy.

[00:00:55.800] - Pam
I would.

[00:00:56.600] - Kim
Okay. 2.5 pounds of dark chocolate hazelnuts for $9.00. How much would it cost for 26.25 pounds? 26 and a 1/4 pounds. Wow, that's a lot.

[00:01:08.950] - Pam
You really would not buy dark chocolate covered hazelnuts?

[00:01:12.070] - Kim
Pecans or almonds. Not hazelnuts, probably.

[00:01:14.160] - Pam
Interesting.

[00:01:15.040] - Kim
I know.

[00:01:15.190] - Pam
Yeah, I'm Swiss, right? Hazelnuts. It's a big Swiss thing.

[00:01:18.660] - Kim
Alright.

[00:01:19.000] - Pam
Okay, I'm going to go first this time, if you don't mind.

[00:01:21.750] - Kim
Go for it.

[00:01:21.980] - Pam
Alright, so I'm writing down 2.5 pounds per $9.00. Kind of looks like a fraction, but it's really a ratio. So, then I'm thinking to myself, "My goal is to get up to 26.25 pounds." Like, maybe I was in the bulk food aisle, and I'm actually looking at the ticket, and I have a bunch of dark chocolate covered hazelnuts in the bag, and I really did buy 26.25, and I'm curious how much that would cost. That could be a reason I'm actually doing that. And so, I'm saying to myself, "How can I get from 2.5 to 26.25?" And I'm thinking to myself, 26.25 is really close to 25.

[00:01:59.870] - Kim
Mmhm.

[00:02:00.030] - Pam
So I'm going to scale up times 10 to get 25 pounds. If 2.5 pounds was to $9.00, then 25 pounds would be to $90.00, if I scale both those by 10. And now I'm just $1.25 off, right? Yes. $1.25 off.

[00:02:14.740] - Kim
Yep.

[00:02:15.070] - Pam
$1.25 is half of the... Or, sorry. I'm 1.25. I'm a pound and a quarter off. It's not money. It's a pound and a quarter. So, half of the 2 and a 1/2 pounds is 1 and a 1/4 pounds. So, half of the $9.00 is $4.50. And so, if I add the $90.00 and the $4.50, I get $94.50.

[00:02:38.420] - Kim
Nice.

[00:02:39.530] - Pam
Dollars. Yeah.

[00:02:40.250] - Kim
That's a lot of money for chocolate hazelnuts.

[00:02:44.120] - Pam
Yeah, but, ooh, they're so good.

[00:02:45.850] - Kim
Do you keep them in the freezer if you were to buy that much?

[00:02:48.550] - Pam
I mean, would they last that long?

[00:02:50.470] - Kim
I don't know.

[00:02:50.990] - Pam
I'm just saying. When I was just at my parents' house, I can't even tell you. You open the cupboard in the kitchen, and there's just like a whole two shelves full of Ritter Sport with hazelnuts. But Kim, they were milk chocolate. Mom, milk chocolate? Yeah, she's into milk these days. I'm into dark. Whatever. Anyway. Okay, what did you do, Kim?

[00:03:10.110] - Kim
Okay, I actually ended up with the same two pieces that you did. But last week, you got me thinking about if I notice that the 0.25. Right? So, I was like, the 2.5 pounds was for $9.00. But it ended with 0.25 pounds.

[00:03:29.490] - Pam
Mmhm.

[00:03:30.760] - Kim
So, I was wondering about 1.25. Which would be the $4.50. And then that left me with the same 25 to $90.00 that you had. So, I also got the $94.50.

[00:03:45.340] - Pam
Nice.

[00:03:46.980] - Kim
Yeah, I don't know that I've ever looked at the decimal ending before. So.

[00:03:51.040] - Pam
The extra. The extra to see if you can get the extra. Yeah, yeah.

[00:03:54.320] - Kim
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 and comment on each other's strategies.

[00:04:02.020] - Pam
We'll post the problems on Wednesdays around 7:00 p.m. Central. Check it out on almost every social media channel that exists, so just just find your favorite. When you answer, tag me, and use the hashtag #MathStratChat. 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!