Teenagers who solved a 2,000-year-old math puzzle talk about their work in a publication

Kalsea Johnson and Ne’Kiah Jackson, who surprised the mathematical world when they created innovative solutions to a 2,000-year-old puzzle, they shocked the math world again by introducing several new ways to prove the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry.

The two, now college students, came up with five ways to solve the problem using trigonometry, along with a method that reveals five other proofs. One of their proofs was previously presented at the conference, and their new solutions were published Monday in the American Mathematical Monthly.

They began studying a math problem as part of a school math competition at St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans. One of their proofs was previously presented at the conference, and their new solutions were published Monday in the American Mathematical Monthly.

“I was very surprised when I was published,” Jackson said in a press release. “I didn’t think it would go this far.”

Della Dumbo, editor-in-chief of American Mathematical Monthly, said Jackson and Johnson’s work draws attention to what new perspectives can bring to the field.

“They also highlight the important role teachers and schools play in developing the next generation of mathematicians,” said Dumbo.

Jackson is currently studying pharmacy at Xavier University in New Orleans, where she received a full ride. Johnson, who was valedictorian of the high school class, is studying environmental engineering at Louisiana State University. Neither of them intends to pursue a career in mathematics, although Johnson has previously said so 60 minutes she may minor in mathematics.

“I’m so proud that we can both make such a positive impact by showing that young women and women of color can do these things and let other young women know that they can do whatever they want. it makes me very proud to be in this position,” Johnson said.

St. Mary’s Mathematical Competition

The students began their research as part of a school-wide math competition with a challenging bonus question that asked students to create a new proof of the Pythagorean Theorem, a fundamental principle of geometry, using trigonometry.

Many mathematicians over the years have proved the theorem using algebra and geometry. For thousands of years, proofs using trigonometry were considered impossible. Mathematician Jason Zimba introduced one in 2009, and now Johnson and Jackson have added to the canon.

They were high school students at a math competition motivated by the promise of a $500 prize. For several months, the students spent almost all their free time developing their ideas.

Mathematics teachers in Saint Mary later presented Johnson and Jackson’s proofs at the March 2023 meeting of the American Mathematical Society in Atlanta.

“Well, our teacher came up to us and said, ‘Hey, maybe you can actually present this,'” Jackson told 60 Minutes. “I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ But she was not. So I got up and it went well.

Despite their impressive achievements, the students insisted to 60 Minutes that they are not math geniuses.

“I think that’s a stretch,” Johnson said.