#MathStratChat - November 4, 2026 Artwork

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Math is Figure-Out-Able!

#MathStratChat - November 4, 2026

November 04, 2026 • Pam Harris, Kim Montague

0:00 | 3:31

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on November 4, 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

[00:00:01.060] - Pam
Hey, fellow math-ers. Welcome to the podcast where Math is Figure-Out-Able. I'm Pam.

[00:00:07.410] - Kim
And I'm Kim.

[00:00:08.540] - Pam
And this episode is a MathStratChat episode where we chat about our math strategies. Y'all, 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.

[00:00:21.150] - Kim
Okay, so this Wednesday our math problem was 12.5 divided by 15. 12.5 divided by 15. How would you solve the problem? Pause the podcast, solve it however you'd like, and then come on back to hear how we're solving 12.5 divided by 15.

[00:00:40.110] - Pam
Oh, Kim. I'm thinking. Ah. Okay. Can I go first?

[00:00:48.490] - Kim
Sure.

[00:00:49.500] - Pam
So, I wasn't sure what I was going to do, and so I just decided to scale both the numerator and the denominator. So, I doubled 12.5 to get 25. And 15 doubled to get 30. So, now I have 25/30.

[00:01:03.810] - Kim
Mmhm.

[00:01:03.890] - Pam
And now, I see common factors of 5.

[00:01:06.490] - Kim
Mmhm.

[00:01:06.860] - Pam
So, if I divide out that common factor of 5, I end up with five-sixths.

[00:01:11.350] - Kim
Mmhm.

[00:01:11.470] - Pam
And I'm just going to rest on five-sixths.

[00:01:13.120] - Kim
Mmhm. That's what I was going to do.

[00:01:17.150] - Pam
I mean, what would you do from five-sixths if you had to have a decimal answer?

[00:01:22.000] - Kim
Oh. Decimal answer. So, I would think about... Oh, it's kind of funky. I would think about a third is repeating 0.33.

[00:01:31.940] - Pam
Mmhm.

[00:01:34.800] - Kim
So, then a sixth.

[00:01:38.960] - Pam
Yeah, what's half of 33?

[00:01:43.450] - Kim
16.5.

[00:01:44.440] - Pam
Yeah, then you still have that 0.3. So, I think it's 16.6 repeating.

[00:01:52.240] - Kim
And then 5 of them?

[00:01:54.070] - Pam
Yeah. Or I was going to back up from 100.

[00:01:57.300] - Kim
Mmhm.

[00:01:57.620] - Pam
So, what would that be? 90, 84, 83.3 repeating?

[00:02:04.060] - Kim
I don't know. I was thinking about the problem again. Sorry.

[00:02:06.940] - Pam
Are you doing it a different way? Do it a different way and check my decimals.

[00:02:11.020] - Kim
Oh. No, I was thinking about the original problem again, if there was anything nicer. Because I liked your scaling, like your doubling, to get 25/30.

[00:02:18.850] - Pam
Yeah.

[00:02:19.350] - Kim
I was wondering if... I mean, maybe scale by 10 to get out of the decimal and do 125 to 150. And then factor out 25s like quarters.

[00:02:31.360] - Pam
Oh, nice.

[00:02:31.610] - Kim
Wish I knew something about quarters. Maybe that would be another nice one.

[00:02:38.690] - Pam
If you're not sure what Kim just meant, listen to our long podcast episodes. Sure wish I knew something about quarters.

[00:02:45.780] - Kim
Yeah. Do you want me to think about the one-sixths again? Or are we moving on?

[00:02:49.100] - Pam
No, no, I think we're good.

[00:02:49.960] - Kim
I think we're good.

[00:02:51.320] - Pam
Yeah. 83 and a 1/3. Or, yeah. 83 and a 1/3 or 83.3 repeating. Either one.

[00:02:57.440] - Pam and Kim
Excellent.

[00:02:58.020] - Kim
Alright, we can't wait to see what you do every week on MathStratChat. Join us and let us know how you think about the problems and then comment on each other's strategies.

[00:03:06.200] - Pam
We love it when you comment on each other's strategies. Y'all, we post the problems on Wednesdays around 7:00 PM Central all across the social sphere. When you answer, tag me and use the hashtag #MathStratChat. That's probably the easiest way to find it, y'all. Search the hashtag #MathStratChat. Then join us 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!