#MathStratChat - October 14 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 14 2026

October 14, 2026 • Pam Harris, Kim Montague

0:00 | 4:50

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on October 14, 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

[00:00:01.380] - Pam
Hey, fellow math-ers! Welcome to the podcast where Math is Figure-Out-Able. I'm Pam.

[00:00:07.980] - Kim
And I'm Kim.

[00:00:08.940] - Pam
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.

[00:00:20.500] - Kim
Okay, so this Wednesday our math problem was 95 times 21. How would you like to solve this problem? Pause the podcast, solve it however you want, and then come on back to solve 95 times 21.

[00:00:36.200] - Pam
You want to go first?

[00:00:37.480] - Kim
Sure.

[00:00:38.060] - Pam
Okay, go.

[00:00:38.870] - Kim
I'm going to say 95 is close to 100, so I'm going to go 100 times 21 is 2,100. And then I'm too much by 5 times 21. Which is 105. So, I'm going to do 2,100 minus 105. And if I subtract 100, that's 2,000. And I subtract 5, that's 1,995.

[00:01:06.910] - Pam
Nice. I like it. I'm going to think about twenty-one 95s. So, I'm going to think about twenty 95s as 2 times 95 and then scale times 10. So, two 95s. 2 times 100 is 200, back up the extra 10, so that's 190. It's a little tragic I had to do that much work. Scale that times 10, so 1,900. And then that's twenty 95s, but I need another 95. Bam! I love it when I get here. That's 1,900 plus 95, which is 1,995.

[00:01:42.530] - Kim
Nice.

[00:01:43.500] - Pam
Good problem, Kim.

[00:01:44.460] - Kim
I like it.

[00:01:45.200] - Pam
I like it.

[00:01:46.000] - Kim
Alright, we can't wait to see what you do every week. Please join us on MathStratChat and let us know how you think about the problems. And while you're there, comment on each other's strategies.

[00:01:55.070] - Pam
So, Kim, I was just in Utah and there was a gentleman there. Steve or Dave. He had one of those names. And I'm pretty sure it was Steve. I know. The names are like equivalent in my head. Great guy. And he was like, "Pam, I listened to MathStratChat, and it has just exploded the way that I think about math." And it was super fun. Y'all, we post the problems on Wednesdays around 7:00 p.m. Central. 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—

[00:02:26.800] - Kim
Yes.

[00:02:27.220] - Pam
Figure-Out-Able movement. Math is Figure-Out-Able! I got it! Bam!