’60 Minutes’ Features Two High School Seniors Who Solved ‘Impossible’ Mathematical Puzzle

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Wow! Two high school seniors solved a mathematical puzzle that has stumped mankind for 2,000 years. “60 Minutes” did a nice feature on the pair, and earned themselves a Community Note in the process.

Two high school seniors solved a mathematical puzzle that was thought to be impossible for 2,000 years. @BillWhitakerCBS reports, Sunday. https://t.co/mEN4CWeXMW pic.twitter.com/iPhsZiERsc

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) May 2, 2024

Readers added context they thought people might want to know

This puzzle was solved 15 years ago…

I studied physics and this isn’t a discovery, it was published in a paper over 15 years ago, they’ve just expressed the same method differently by using a more inefficient method.

— Lord Miles (@real_lord_miles) May 4, 2024

Not only was this solved 15 years ago, their method is wildly inefficient.

— Vince (@VincenzoPala) May 4, 2024

This was solved 15 years ago by some white guy, but that wouldn’t be “60 Minutes worthy” now wouldn’t it? pic.twitter.com/VixjrNs1lp

— iamyesyouareno (@iamyesyouareno) May 4, 2024

You’re kidding, right?! Or deliberately lying?https://t.co/2xTdt8RAD5

— Sanёk (@RU_SpaceMarine) May 4, 2024

Congratulations, you just accomplished something that was already accomplished.

Remember when 60 Minutes used to be about journalism and not DEI…

— Cowboy Philosopher (@CowboyPhilosph1) May 4, 2024

Good for them but would it still be a story if it wasn’t black women?
We may never know.

— Agent Orange (@OU812000) May 4, 2024

Cringe pandering, and misleading. Everyone should know by now not to trust anything 60 Minutes sells.

— Augustina 🇻🇦 (@AugustinaJJD) May 3, 2024

The replies to this post are mostly stupid and racist, but I blame YOU, @60Minutes.

Your sensationalist headline completely misrepresented the point of the accomplishment, leading to replies based on your presentation instead of on the reality of what they did.

— K. Wade 🇺🇸🫱🏽‍🫲🏼🇮🇱 (@Kwade79) May 4, 2024

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But why would “60 Minutes” misrepresent a story in the headline?

Wouldn’t this news be everywhere if the headline were literally true?

— 🍗🎄 Unfollowing Everyone Acosta🎄🍗 (@JayPark71553294) May 4, 2024

This is misleading because the Pythagorean Theorem has already been proven a few hundred times already over the past 2,000 years.

There is actually a published book that shows 370+ ways to prove it.

— Pretty Damned Hot 🔥 (@PrettyDamnedHot) May 3, 2024

A few months ago I posted about this and people tried to deny someone else did it before them and called me racist for pointing it out, lol.

— Blunty (@arkivx) May 4, 2024

I’m no mathematician but I thought they just rephrased an already discovered solution?

— joe (@pointguardjoe) May 4, 2024

It’s still a very impressive achievement. I don’t see an issue with celebrating it especially if these achievements are rarer in the black community

— Henny (@GhendogSupreme) May 4, 2024

We’re all for more black women going into STEM. Maybe these two will be an inspiration. The post did lead to a lot of “Black girl magic” posts and arguments against DEI, but the “60 Minutes” headline is completely misleading. Interview the guy who solved it 15 years ago.

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