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

Fri, 31 May 2024 19:25:18 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/06/pythagoras-theorem-proof-new-orleans-teens>

"Two college freshmen who, during their final year of high school, found a new
way to prove Pythagoras’s theorem by using trigonometry – which mathematicians
for generations thought was impossible – have since uncovered multiple more
such proofs, they revealed in a national interview on Sunday.

“We found five, and then we found a general format that could potentially
produce at least five additional proofs,” Calcea Johnson said on CBS’s 60
Minutes
, a little more than a year after she and Ne’Kiya Jackson collaborated
on an accomplishment that earned them international recognition.

Nonetheless, in comments that stunned their interviewer, Bill Whitaker, the two
graduates of St Mary’s Academy in New Orleans denied seeing themselves as math
geniuses and dismissed any interest in pursuing careers in mathematics.

“People might expect too much out of me if I become a mathematician,” Jackson
said, shaking her head. Johnson, for her part, added: “I may take up a minor in
math, but I don’t want that to be my job job.”"

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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