On today's episode. If I didn't know, maybe you didn't either. Let's talk about some real BGM Black Girl magic. Two high schoolers, yes, high schoolers, just casually strolled into a math class and solved a math problem that's been chilling, unsolved for two thousand years. They're just like, yeah, we got this. I didn't know. Maybe I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know.
Mi Calcilla Johnson and Nikia Jackson from New Orleans. These two were seniors at Saint Mary's Academy back in twenty twenty two. Now, while most of us were out here just trying to survive senior year, avoid senior writists, and go to a senior skip day without getting in trouble, these two were out here solving the Pythagoron theorem with trigonometry. Now, I know you probably can't spell pythagora in theorem let alone remember what it was. But it's the rule about
triangles A square plus b squared equal c square. You know, basically saying, if you got a right angle triangle, the two short sides add up to the longside. Simple right. Well, we learned that in geometry turns out. Proving it in trigonometry was considered impossible, like, yes we can land on the moon, and yes, if I'm talking to my wife about dish detergent as soon as I open up my social media, dish detergent ads will be in my algorithm.
But this solving the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry, Nah, that's too difficult. But Calcia and the kid were like, hold our calculators. They use something called the law of signs, not like stop and yield, but sign and co sign. You remember that. Now, I'm not gonna boil you with math because I put myself to sleep. So let me break it down to you like I'm breaking it down to a five year old or somebody who got the brain capacity of cold and Martin. Imagine you got a
lego triangle. The Pythagorean theorem is like saying, if I count the legos on this side and this side, they'll match the legos on the lawn on side. Easy. But to prove it with trigonometry is like building the whole triangle with no instructions and still having it turn out perfect. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to put my daughter's desk together for Christmas. I got folk screws left over, and I think I put the led lights on backwards. Dig this. These two
teenagers presented their work at a professional math conference. These are grown adults with PhDs, and Calcia and the kid just walked in, like, what's up. Here's something y'all couldn't do in two thousand years and yeah, we're seventeen. Now fast forward to twenty twenty five, these girls are still killing it. They're in STEM programs now publishing math papers.
I mean, what were you doing at seventeen eighteen years old? Personally, I was a felon just trying to graduate high school on a journey to be the best car hops Sonic has ever seen. But let's talk about how big this is for black culture. Historically, people haven't given black folks their flowers when it comes to science and innovation. These girls kicked that door open and said we belong here. In the words of Aliyah, age ain't nothing but a
nothing barn. They showing everyone that black kids don't just play ball or rap. We can change the freaking world. So shout out to Calcia and Nikia. They proved that math is for us too. And they didn't just solve an equation. They reminded all of us what's possible when we dream big. So if you got kids, tell them to pick up a calculator. You never know. Your little one could be out here solving three thousand year old problems next. And I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either. I didn't know