High School Students Publish Groundbreaking Trigonometric Proofs of Pythagorean Theorem

Ne'Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson challenge centuries-old beliefs with ten innovative proofs, now featured in a prestigious mathematics journal.

The students independently discovered their first trigonometric proof as part of a high school math contest in 2022.
Their work, now published in the American Mathematical Monthly, includes five new proofs and outlines a method for discovering five additional proofs.
The achievement is significant because trigonometric proofs of the Pythagorean theorem were long considered impossible due to circular reasoning.
Jackson and Johnson's research highlights the potential of fresh perspectives in mathematics, especially from young scholars.
Both students continue their academic pursuits in pharmacy and environmental engineering, while inspiring other young women in STEM fields.