06/30/2025
In a field where groundbreaking discoveries are rare, two teenage girls from New Orleans defied expectations by presenting a new proof of a fundamental mathematical theorem.
High school seniors Calcea Johnson and Ne’Kiya Jackson developed a new way to prove the 2,000-year-old Pythagorean theorem.
For centuries, mathematicians believed it was impossible to prove the theorem using trigonometry without falling into a logical trap known as circular reasoning.
The two students from St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans took on the challenge as part of a math contest.
In March 2023, they presented their innovative work at the American Mathematical Society's Southeastern Sectional Meeting, stunning the academic community.
Their proof uses trigonometry but avoids the circular logic that others thought was unavoidable, adding a new perspective to an ancient problem.
While not the very first to ever attempt a trigonometric proof, their method was original and independently derived, a remarkable feat for students so young.
In October 2024, their work was validated and published in the prestigious American Mathematical Monthly, a peer-reviewed journal.
Their accomplishment officially added their names to the long and distinguished history of mathematical discovery.
