#MathStratChat - October 21, 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 21, 2026

October 21, 2026

0:00 | 5:19

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on October 21, 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

[00:00:01.160] - Pam
Hey, fellow math-ers! Welcome to the podcast where Math is Figure-Out-Able. Was that a little bit too much? Hey! Hey!

[00:00:09.830] - Kim
So loud!

[00:00:11.410] - Pam
Hey! I'm Pam Harris.

[00:00:13.750] - Kim
And I'm Kim Montague.

[00:00:15.290] - Pam
And this is a MathStratChat episode where I'm going to say hey a little bit calmer, 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.

[00:00:28.570] - Kim
Alright, this Wednesday our problem was 32 times 55. Pause the podcast, solve it however you'd like. The problem is 32 times 55.

[00:00:38.460] - Pam
Alright. Hmm. Kind of have been playing around with prime factoring one of the factors.

[00:00:45.720] - Kim
Okay.

[00:00:46.940] - Pam
But I don't know how this is going to play out. So, 2 times 55 is 110. 2 times 110 is 220. 2 times 220 is 440. Sorry, I was pausing not because I can't double 220, but I was thinking about how far I was going to have to do to get 32. 2 times 400— I'm kind of tempted to just do 4 times 4. Well, 4 times 4 and 2 times 4.

[00:01:14.430] - Kim
You can change your mind in the middle. That's legal.

[00:01:16.840] - Pam
I know, but I wonder if I'm going to lose track of my thinking. 2 times 440 is 880. 2 times 880 is 16 and 160 is... Oh, I'm tired today. What is wrong with me?

[00:01:32.150] - Kim
What did you say? 1,600 and 160?

[00:01:33.270] - Pam
1,600 and 160 is 1,760. Yeah?

[00:01:36.590] - Kim
Yep.

[00:01:36.930] - Pam
Okay, so let's see. I've done 2 times 2 is 4, times 2 is 8, times 2 is 16, times 2 is 32. 1,760.

[00:01:42.890] - Kim
Yeah.

[00:01:43.850] - Pam
Okay.

[00:01:45.170] - Kim
I did a strategy, but I'm actually wondering. Because you were talking about factoring, I'm not thinking prime factoring. I'm trying to decide which strategy I want to do.

[00:01:55.910] - Pam
Yeah. Hey, while you're deciding, can I just look back at my work? I wanted to do the 4 times, but...

[00:02:01.190] - Kim
Wait, wait, don't do it because you might do what I was going to do.

[00:02:03.540] - Pam
Oh, my bad. Okay. You're right.

[00:02:05.180] - Kim
So, I'm writing 32 as 8 times 4 and 55 as 11 times 5. And I'm going to want to put the 8 times 11 together, I think, and write it 88. And then the 4 times 5 is 20.

[00:02:20.850] - Pam
Sweet!

[00:02:22.040] - Kim
So, I'm wondering if I like 88 times 2 is 176 times 10 is 1,760.

[00:02:28.880] - Pam
Just 88 times 2 is that slick for you, huh? It obviously wasn't for me. I had to actually think about it.

[00:02:35.050] - Kim
Oh, did you get to that point?

[00:02:36.880] - Pam
Well, I got to 2 times 880.

[00:02:38.740] - Kim
Ah, okay.

[00:02:39.660] - Pam
So, I was thinking about doubling 88, and you doubled 88 very snappily there. Nicely done. You have me wondering about when you had 8 times 4 times 11 times 5, making that 8 times 2 times 11 times 10. I don't know if that helps any. No, because I'm still going to end up.

[00:03:05.540] - Kim
What about... Do you like when it's 8 times 4 times 11 times 5? Do you like putting the 8 times 5 together to get 40.

[00:03:12.840] - Pam
Ooh.

[00:03:12.900] - Kim
And having 44 times 40?

[00:03:14.830] - Pam
Yes.

[00:03:15.070] - Kim
I don't know if I like that. You like that better?

[00:03:16.750] - Pam
I don't know if I like it better, but I definitely like it. Maybe not better because 88 times 2 is easier than 44 times... Well, you got to where I was. It's where I was trying to think about 44 times... Or 440 times 4. And I was like, mmm, I'm not sure I can do that.

[00:03:31.860] - Kim
Yeah. And the 55, of course, is super nice to do 50. And if you know 50, then you can do 5 pretty easily.

[00:03:39.520] - Pam
Yeah, neither of us did that.

[00:03:41.050] - Kim
Yeah.

[00:03:41.150] - Pam
Yeah.

[00:03:41.390] - Kim
Alright, alright. We got to move on.

[00:03:44.540] - Pam
Great problem.

[00:03:46.390] - Kim
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 please comment on other people's strategies. They love it.

[00:03:54.090] - Pam
And we love it. 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 here to hear how we're thinking about the problem. We love having you as part of the Math is Figure-Out-Able movement. Math is Figure-Out-Able!