Two Teen Girls Made History For Developing Five New Proofs Of The Pythagorean Theorem
A pair of teenage girls who participated in a high school math contest made history after they developed five new proofs of the Pythagorean theorem, one of the most fundamental principles of mathematics.
Ne’Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson were students at St. Mary’s Academy High School. They were able to accomplish something that many mathematicians have failed to do for centuries.
While in high school, the girls created five new ways to prove the Pythagorean theorem, which is an amazingly rare occurrence because hundreds of proofs already exist. Their new discoveries demonstrate that the a^2 + b^2 = c^2 equation can still be proven.
“To have a paper published at such a young age—it’s really mind-blowing,” said Johnson. “It’s very exciting for me because I know when I was growing up, STEM wasn’t really a cool thing.”
“So, the fact that all these people actually are interested in STEM and mathematics really warms my heart and makes me really excited about how far STEM has come.”
When Jackson and Johnson started working on the high school math contest, they were already familiar with the Pythagorean theorem. The contest was initiated by a math teacher named Michelle Blouin Williams at St. Mary’s.
St. Mary’s is a private Catholic elementary and high school. It was started for young Black women just after the Civil War.
The contest offered a $500 prize for a bonus question that involved creating a new proof of the Pythagorean theorem. The girls spent months developing their ideas and doing extensive mathematical research on top of their regular high school coursework.
Ultimately, they presented their work at the American Mathematical Society conference in Atlanta in March 2023. They were the youngest presenters in attendance.
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Their paper documented five new proofs. It also provided a systematic method for figuring out additional proofs, which could lead to more mathematical discoveries.
Their work is even more impressive when considering the fact that it focuses on trigonometric proofs. Previously, some mathematicians claimed that a proof using trigonometry was impossible.
Jackson and Johnson graduated from St. Mary’s last year. Jackson received a full ride to study pharmacy at Xavier University in New Orleans. Johnson was valedictorian of her class and is studying environmental engineering at Louisiana State University.
Their success challenged traditional societal expectations about who can make great mathematical achievements.
“I am very proud that we are both able to be such a positive influence in showing that young women and women of color can do these things and to let other young women know that they are able to do whatever they want to do. So that makes me very proud to be able to be in that position,” said Johnson.
Their paper was published in The American Mathematical Monthly.
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