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!
Math is Figure-Out-Able!
#MathStratChat - August 7, 2024
In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on August 7, 2024.
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
Want more? Check out the archive of all of our #MathStratChat posts!
Pam 00:00
Hey, fellow mathers! Welcome to the podcast where Math is Figure-Out-Able, and cool, and really nice. I'm Pam Harris, and I'm a little punchy.
Kim 00:11
Did you say you're Pam?
Pam 00:13
I did.
Kim 00:14
Okay. I didn't hear you. Hey, I'm Kim.
Pam 00:17
And this episode is a MathStratChat episode, and it promises to be pretty good, 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. Hey, Kim.
Kim 00:34
Hi. Okay, this Wednesday, the math problem was 3.5 times 180. How would you solve this problem? Pause the podcast. Solve it however you want, and then come on back to hear how we solve it. The problem is 3.5 times 180.
Pam 00:52
Alright, so, 3 and 5/10 times 180. Nah. 3 and a 1/2. I like 3 and a 1/2. 3 and a 1/2 times 180...
Kim 00:58
Wait, I thought I was going to go first.
Pam 01:00
Oh.
Kim 01:00
You going to go first? You can go first. It's fine.
Pam 01:03
No, you can go first.
Kim 01:03
Right before, I said you went first last time. Let me go first.
Pam 01:06
Oh, I missed it. Sorry.
Kim 01:07
That's okay. No, go ahead. Go for it. I love it.
Pam 01:09
Should we arm wrestle?
Kim 01:09
No, you go first.
Pam 01:11
Ah, okay. I'm going to double 3 and a 1/2 to get 7. So, I'm going to find twice as many groups that are half as big.
Kim 01:17
Okay.
Pam 01:17
So, 3 and a 1/2 doubled to 7. 180 halved is 90. 7 times 90 is like 7 times 9, which is 63, times 10, which is 630.
Kim 01:27
Say that one more time.
Pam 01:29
Okay.
Kim 01:29
What did you do?
Pam 01:30
7 times 90 is like...
Kim 01:33
Oh, okay, okay. Yeah.
Pam 01:34
...7 times 9, which is 63 (unclear).
Kim 01:36
I got in the weeds of your words. Sorry, yeah.
Pam 01:38
Yeah, my bad. Okay. I did it kind of fast.
Kim 01:42
It's good.
Pam 01:43
Alright, cool. What do you got? What do you got?
Kim 01:45
I don't know that it's any better than your strategy. I like your strategy lot. I... Yeah, I said 3.5, but I also was thinking about 3 and a 1/2.
Pam 01:54
Yeah.
Kim 01:55
And I don't know why I know three 18s.
Pam Harris 01:59
I don't either.
Kim 02:00
No, I do know it, and I don't know why I know it.
Pam 02:02
I know. Like, I don't know why you know that either. I was just trying to wonder if I knew... Like, I know double 180 because I can picture that on a unit circle. Like double 180, and then double that's 360. So, then I was trying to think, do I know 3 of them? Is it 540?
Kim 02:20
Yeah. Well, and I wasn't even thinking about 180. But I know 3 times 18 is 54, and I have no idea why. But then, of course, that was helpful. So, then 540. And then half of 80 is 90. But only because I knew that. I know that amount was that a good strategy.
Pam 02:37
The 3 times 18?
Kim 02:38
Yeah.
Pam 02:39
Yeah.
Kim 02:39
Otherwise I would have double halve too.
Pam 02:41
Yeah.
Kim 02:42
Interesting.
Pam 02:43
Alright, cool.
Kim 02:44
It's fun when things pop out of your head.
Pam 02:46
I like it.
Kim 02:47
Alright. We can't ever... We can't...
Pam 02:52
We can't something. We can't talk today.
Kim 02:54
The whole day. The whole day (unclear)
Pam 02:56
Kim, we got to get these Problem String books done, so that we can like breathe again.
Kim 03:00
(unclear). Alright, people, we're excited to see what you do each week. We scroll through and check out what you're doing, so join us on MathStratChat and let us know how you think about the problems. And please comment on other people's strategies.
Pam 03:10
Oh, it's so fun when you comment on other people strategies. We post the problems on Wednesdays around 7pm Central time. 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. Thanks for making math figure-out-able.