Teens who discovered new way to prove Pythagoras’s theorem uncover even more proofs

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses two college freshmen, Calcea Johnson and Ne'Kiya Jackson, who discovered a new way to prove Pythagoras's theorem using trigonometry, which was previously thought to be impossible. They have since uncovered multiple additional proofs and presented their findings at a regional meeting of the American Mathematical Society.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Proving Pythagoras's Theorem

1. What did Calcea Johnson and Ne'Kiya Jackson discover about proving Pythagoras's theorem?

• They found a new way to prove Pythagoras's theorem using trigonometry, which was previously thought to be impossible.
• They have uncovered a total of 5 proofs and have found a general format that could potentially produce at least 5 additional proofs.

2. How did they come up with this new proof?

• They were working on a bonus question from a math contest during their final year of high school, which served as the impetus for them to plot out a new way to demonstrate that one could indeed use trigonometry to prove Pythagoras's theorem.

3. How was their work received by the math community?

• Some in the math community were skeptical, claiming that their work was not unprecedented and that a 2009 trigonometry-based proof for Pythagoras's theorem should get its due.
• However, mathematicians who reviewed their work confirmed that they had arrived at a valid new proof, which was a celebration-worthy accomplishment.

4. What recognition did they receive for their work?

• They presented their findings at a regional meeting of the American Mathematical Society and have submitted their discoveries for final peer review and publication.
• They received a commendation from Louisiana's then governor and symbolic keys to the city of New Orleans.
• Michelle Obama wrote a post on social media celebrating their achievement.

[02] Calcea Johnson and Ne'Kiya Jackson's Future Plans

1. What are Calcea Johnson and Ne'Kiya Jackson's plans for the future?

• Despite their groundbreaking work, they do not see themselves as math geniuses and are not interested in pursuing careers in mathematics.
• Calcea Johnson plans to only take up a minor in math, while Ne'Kiya Jackson is attending Xavier University and enrolled in its pharmacy department.
• Calcea Johnson is now an environmental engineering student at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.