NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— Two students from St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans East have made a mathematics discovery, that mathematicians have been trying to prove for 2,000 years.
School officials say 17-year-olds Calcea Johnson and Ne’Kiya Jackson, attended the American Mathematical Society’s Annual Southeastern Conference where they found a way to prove the Pythagorean Theorem theory using trigonometry and without using circular logic.
Used to calculate the side lengths of a right triangle, the theory was previously thought impossible to prove. The standard Pythagorean Theorem is used on an everyday basis in professions like:
- architecture
- building construction
- navigation
- space flight
- computer science
- programming building cars
Johnson and Jackson first became interested in Pythagoras’ Theormen when they entered a math contest created to spark students’ further interests in math. The study led them to prove the theory’s original proof was inaccurate.
The students made a groundbreaking lecture Saturday (March 18) in Atlanta, Georgia to mark their historic find.
Latest Stories
Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.
