Teens who made history with Pythagoras' theorem discovery publish their first academic paper with new proofs

Two high school students, Calcea Johnson and Ne'Kiya Jackson, published a paper in the American Mathematical Monthly, presenting new proofs of Pythagoras' theorem using trigonometry. Their work includes five new proofs and a method revealing five more. This achievement was previously thought impossible due to circular reasoning. The students' success highlights the potential for young people, especially women of color, in STEM fields. Their paper also addresses confusion in trigonometry education by separating two different versions of the subject.