Two high school seniors claim to have proved the Pythagorean theorem. They used trigonometry at an American Mathematical Society meeting. The names of the students are Calcea Johnson and Ne’Kiya Jackson,

The theorem is over 2,000 years old. It states that the sum of the squares of a right triangle’s two shorter sides is equal to the square of the hypotenuse.

Important Details

• Trigonometry lays out how the side lengths and angles in a triangle are related.
• Traditionally, mathematicians thought that using trigonometry to prove the theorem would always include some hidden expression of the theorem itself.
• This would be an error in thinking called circular reasoning.
• Johnson and Jackson’s proof has yet to be scrutinized by mathematicians.
• But if it is true, it would be an impressive finding as they claim to have proved the theorem without using the theorem itself, thus avoiding circular reasoning.
• The student’s achievement is notable because it challenges the conventional wisdom that only adults can accomplish such feats.
• However, their findings have not yet been accepted into a peer-reviewed journal.
• So it remains to be seen whether their proof will ultimately hold up.

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Watch a video

The Youtube channel “Ted-Ed” shares a number of ways to prove the Pythagorean Theorem.

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