As frequent readers of this space know very well, we are huge fans of anyone who can get people to love math. So when we heard an interview with Kyne Santos, a person who calls themselves a mathematics communicator and who is also a drag queen, we were intrigued.
Kyne always had an interest in math, graduating from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Mathematics and a major in Mathematical Finance. Kyne began her drag career while at university, and became known for her drag tutorials on YouTube. She also appeared on the reality competition show Canada’s Drag Race.
In 2020, just as classes moved online, Kyne took to TikTok (“onlinekyne”) to make short-form math videos where she provides riddles and examples that are wonderful illustrations of how math is used in everyday life. Just recently, Reference named Kyne one of the 8 Best Educational TikTok Accounts. Here’s a typical example that applies Pythagorean theory to a legal case in New York City. She also provides answers to real-life questions posted by her fans. For example, if you social media folks out there are trying to figure out how many unique posts you can make out of your media library, watch this.
Most importantly from our perspective is that she teaches her followers how to spot misleading statistics in media, all while dressed in high-glamour drag. With an audience of over 1 million followers across platforms, we honor Kyne for helping create more measurement fans through her passion for math education and scientific literacy. Congratulations to Kyne Santos, our Measurement Maven of the Month!
One word of caution: Her videos are addictive. Ever wondered why the French numbers system is different from the English? (We warned you!) ∞
