WEBVTT - IDKMYDE: 2000 Year Old Math Problem

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<v Speaker 1>On today's episode. If I didn't know, maybe you didn't either.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's talk about some real BGM Black Girl magic. Two

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<v Speaker 1>high schoolers, yes, high schoolers, just casually strolled into a

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<v Speaker 1>math class and solved a math problem that's been chilling,

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<v Speaker 1>unsolved for two thousand years. They're just like, yeah, we

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<v Speaker 1>got this. I didn't know. Maybe I didn't know. I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know.

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<v Speaker 1>Mi Calcilla Johnson and Nikia Jackson from New Orleans. These

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<v Speaker 1>two were seniors at Saint Mary's Academy back in twenty

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<v Speaker 1>twenty two. Now, while most of us were out here

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<v Speaker 1>just trying to survive senior year, avoid senior writists, and

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<v Speaker 1>go to a senior skip day without getting in trouble,

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<v Speaker 1>these two were out here solving the Pythagoron theorem with trigonometry. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>I know you probably can't spell pythagora in theorem let

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<v Speaker 1>alone remember what it was. But it's the rule about

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<v Speaker 1>triangles A square plus b squared equal c square. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>basically saying, if you got a right angle triangle, the

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<v Speaker 1>two short sides add up to the longside. Simple right. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>we learned that in geometry turns out. Proving it in

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<v Speaker 1>trigonometry was considered impossible, like, yes we can land on

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<v Speaker 1>the moon, and yes, if I'm talking to my wife

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<v Speaker 1>about dish detergent as soon as I open up my

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<v Speaker 1>social media, dish detergent ads will be in my algorithm.

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<v Speaker 1>But this solving the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry, Nah, that's

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<v Speaker 1>too difficult. But Calcia and the kid were like, hold

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<v Speaker 1>our calculators. They use something called the law of signs,

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<v Speaker 1>not like stop and yield, but sign and co sign.

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<v Speaker 1>You remember that. Now, I'm not gonna boil you with

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<v Speaker 1>math because I put myself to sleep. So let me

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<v Speaker 1>break it down to you like I'm breaking it down

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<v Speaker 1>to a five year old or somebody who got the

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<v Speaker 1>brain capacity of cold and Martin. Imagine you got a

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<v Speaker 1>lego triangle. The Pythagorean theorem is like saying, if I

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<v Speaker 1>count the legos on this side and this side, they'll

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<v Speaker 1>match the legos on the lawn on side. Easy. But

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<v Speaker 1>to prove it with trigonometry is like building the whole

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<v Speaker 1>triangle with no instructions and still having it turn out perfect. Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm still trying to put my daughter's desk together for Christmas.

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<v Speaker 1>I got folk screws left over, and I think I

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<v Speaker 1>put the led lights on backwards. Dig this. These two

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<v Speaker 1>teenagers presented their work at a professional math conference. These

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<v Speaker 1>are grown adults with PhDs, and Calcia and the kid

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<v Speaker 1>just walked in, like, what's up. Here's something y'all couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>do in two thousand years and yeah, we're seventeen. Now

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<v Speaker 1>fast forward to twenty twenty five, these girls are still

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<v Speaker 1>killing it. They're in STEM programs now publishing math papers.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, what were you doing at seventeen eighteen years old? Personally,

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<v Speaker 1>I was a felon just trying to graduate high school

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<v Speaker 1>on a journey to be the best car hops Sonic

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<v Speaker 1>has ever seen. But let's talk about how big this

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<v Speaker 1>is for black culture. Historically, people haven't given black folks

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<v Speaker 1>their flowers when it comes to science and innovation. These

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<v Speaker 1>girls kicked that door open and said we belong here.

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<v Speaker 1>In the words of Aliyah, age ain't nothing but a

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<v Speaker 1>nothing barn. They showing everyone that black kids don't just

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<v Speaker 1>play ball or rap. We can change the freaking world.

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<v Speaker 1>So shout out to Calcia and Nikia. They proved that

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<v Speaker 1>math is for us too. And they didn't just solve

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<v Speaker 1>an equation. They reminded all of us what's possible when

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<v Speaker 1>we dream big. So if you got kids, tell them

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<v Speaker 1>to pick up a calculator. You never know. Your little

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<v Speaker 1>one could be out here solving three thousand year old

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<v Speaker 1>problems next. And I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't know