Kyne Santos’ website describes him as “a world class drag queen, YouTuber, and mathematics communicator.” Santos’ stage persona, known simply as “Kyne,” has a bio that reads a little more simply: “Drag queen who loves math and sparkly things.” (Note: Santos uses he/him when out of character and she/her when in character.)
Kyne’s had quite an exciting life, launching a successful YouTube channel, appearing on the first season of Canada’s Drag Race, and studying Mathematical Finance at the University of Waterloo.
In 2020, she took to TikTok to share her passion for mathematics in an engaging and accessible way, communicating complex concepts to laypeople like me in a form that we can understand and get interested in – all while looking absolutely fierce. Check out a few of our favorite mini lessons!
10. Why do people hate math?
Here’s Kyne’s philosophy on what she does and why she does it.
@onlinekyne Why do people hate math? Inspired by Edward Frenkel’s book, “Love and Math” #math #drag #painting #picasso
9. Prime Numbers
Does 1 count or not?
@onlinekyne Did you know that 1 is not a prime number? #math #drag #edutok #learnontiktok
8. Banach fixed-point theorem
Mind blown.
@onlinekyne If you put a map on the floor, there will be a point on the map that touches the actual real-world point it refers to! #edutok #math
7. Is pie really infinite?
If so, I’ll never be hungry again.
@onlinekyne What does it mean for a number to be infinite? Infinitely long, or infinitely large? And what is the difference? #math #edutok #learnontiktok
6. Why we have proofs
The human thirst for knowledge is an incredible thing.
@onlinekyne Proofs are fundamental to math, but why do we reprove things already proven? #math #drag #learnontiktok #edutok
5. Time value of money
It’s so simple and yet I’ve never really thought about it.
@onlinekyne Here’s my response to @drestoopidd ! What do you think? #math #drag #edutok #learnontiktok
4. Guessing on multiple choice
Trick questions gettin’ destroyed.
@onlinekyne I dunno if this is the response you guys wanted from me, but this is the response you’re getting! #math #edutok #riddle (response to @henr99999 ❤️)
3. Averaging things out
If only I could go back in time and understand this as a student.
@onlinekyne Today’s riddle is all about averages!
2. Pascal’s wager
An instance where mathematics meets philosophy. But does it add up?
@onlinekyne What are your thoughts on Pascal’s wager? #math #drag #edutok
1. How to get the most pizza
I don’t agree with her pro-pineapple stance, but am still grateful for the info.
@onlinekyne Pizza problem! Btw, pineapple on pizza is superior. 🍍🍕 #math #education #edutok #drag #dragqueen
Pretty great stuff, and there’s plenty more where that came from! Check out her channel to get more fun math knowledge bit by bit!
What’s your favorite math fact?
Tell us in the comments.