#MathStratChat - October 7, 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 - October 7, 2026

October 07, 2026 • Pam Harris, Kim Montague

0:00 | 4:39

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on October 7, 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

[00:00:00.900] - Pam
Hey, fellow math-ers! Welcome to the podcast where Math is Figure-Out-Able. I'm Pam.

[00:00:07.330] - Kim
And I'm Kim.

[00:00:07.970] - Pam
And this episode is a MathStratChat episode where we chat about our math strategies. Oh, my heavens. I have a hair in my eye. Okay.

[00:00:16.290] - Kim
Oh!

[00:00:17.090] - Pam
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. Y'all, we love it when you comment on each other's thinking.

[00:00:26.480] - Kim
Yeah, for sure. Okay, this Wednesday, our problem was 51 times 16. Pause the podcast, solve it however you'd like, and then come on back. The problem is 51 times 16.

[00:00:38.190] - Pam
Okay, I'm dying to go first today. Can I go first?

[00:00:40.280] - Kim
Wonderful.

[00:00:41.070] - Pam
Okay, so I'm going to find fifty-one 16s by finding fifty 16s, and then just adding 1 more 16.

[00:00:48.610] - Kim
Ah! Okay.

[00:00:49.610] - Pam
Ha! You have to do something else! So, 50 times 16 is like 100 times 8, so that's 800. And then I just have to add 16. And 800 and 16 is 816. Bam! Where the question is the answer.

[00:01:03.780] - Kim
Yeah, I wanted to set aside that 1 times 16 as well. But since you're forcing me to do something different, I'm going to go 51 times 16.

[00:01:11.900] - Pam
Okay.

[00:01:12.690] - Kim
Is equivalent to 102 times 8.

[00:01:15.980] - Pam
Okay.

[00:01:16.520] - Kim
And that is also 816.

[00:01:18.620] - Pam
Nice. So, David Tymm of the NumberClub ilk has got me thinking about prime factors. Thanks, David. No, I should say that, thanks, David! Because his game Number Ramble has got me thinking about prime factors. So, there's also a world where I could have done two 51s, which would be 102. And then 2 of those, which would be 204. And then 2 of those, which would be 408. And then 2 of those, which would be 816. And I just sort of did 16 as 2 to the 4th.

[00:01:51.050] - Kim
Yeah.

[00:01:51.770] - Pam
Yeah. Anyway, he has me thinking about prime factors.

[00:01:56.590] - Kim
I like it.

[00:01:57.530] - Pam
Alright, y'all, 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.

[00:02:05.470] - Kim
Pam posts the problem every Wednesday at 7:00 PM Central. When you answer, tag her and use the hashtag #MathStratChat. Then join us here to hear how we're thinking about the problem.

[00:02:14.460] - Pam
Y'all, we love having you as part of the Math is Figure-Out-Able movement. Math is Figure-Out-Able!