Kyne Santos is TikTok’s reigning math queen

1.5 million math converts flooded Santos’ @onlinekyne account seeking camp explanations of quadratic equations and square roots

Kyne Santos’ introduction to mathematics was very practical. His late father, a Filipino immigrant who worked as an engineer for Toyota Motor Corporation in Cambridge, Ontario, told his young son that he could get a good job if he excelled in the field. By high school, Santos was tops in math and entered competitions — in his case, tests offered by the University of Waterloo. “Although I didn’t win often, I was exposed to the creative side of mathematics,” Santos says. “Like proving trigonometry, there was no right or wrong way.”

Around the same time, Santos began experimenting with makeup to explore her gender expression, wearing red lipstick and eyelashes to school. This is a “superhero cape”. By 2016, when Santos was a first-year math major at the University of Waterloo, he saw a live performance by Kitchener Queen Miss Drew, which inspired him to take the stage. Santos completed his classes during the day. At night, he used Kaine as his drag name and performed in homemade costumes at campus pubs and nightclubs in southern Ontario. By 2020, Cain had become something of a national drag icon, placing 11th in the first season. canadian drag racing.

Once filming wrapped, Santos found himself stuck in a creative rut. A YouTube wig styling tutorial was good enough, but then he remembered his first love. “I started wearing drag and posting math riddles on TikTok,” Santos says. “I thought nothing was going to happen.” Thousands of views and comments quickly poured in. (“If you were my math teacher, my life, my grades, my attendance would have been so different,” one person said.) In the viral clip, Kaine wears purple organza. . She wears a top and dazzling jewel earrings and bats her thick eyelashes as she explains the ins and outs of a Möbius strip. It has nearly 15 million views.

1.5 million math converts flocked to Santos’ @onlinekyne account for camp explanations of quadratic equations and square roots, and Santos soon compiled the tips into a book. This spring, Johns Hopkins University Press published Math in Drag. In it, Santos explains important mathematical concepts like the law of averages, along with quirky history tidbits about drag balls and Marsha P. Johnson.We also investigate the statistical probability of winning drag race.

For Santos, now 26, Kine’s career has been beneficial in several ways. “When I was young, I thought this way. If I was really flashy, how could I get a job as a mathematician or scientist?” said Santos. “It’s important to me to counteract the stereotype that ‘mathematicians’ can’t wear makeup or be feminine, that they have to fit into a certain box.” The book fell into disrepair, so Santos The next goal is to establish an online or classroom scholarship program and possibly tutoring services. I’m sure the uniform will be nice too.

pop quiz

Favorite equation: “I really like you Yeah + 1 = 0. It incorporates numbers such as e and i that forced mathematicians to extend the framework. This is what I call my “celebrity number.” ”
Typical lip sync songs: Diana Ross’s “The Boss”
Drag idol: RuPaul. “She opened the door to becoming a queen in the mainstream with her daytime drag shows, TV appearances, and her book writing!”
Favorite author: “Apart from me, I love Eugenia Chen. Her books How to bake a pie Making math accessible to the general public and incorporating her love of baking. ”
Break time entertainment: I’m watching real housewife In bed at home. “salt lake city Full of camping icons. ”