Israeli 10th-grader stumbles upon new geometric theorem

According to the new "Three Radii Theorem," if three or more lines extend from a single point to the edge of a circle, then the point is the center of the circle and the straight lines are the radii.

Gabriel-Morris, a former chef who retrained as a math teacher, worked with Tamar to research the subject and helped her develop the new mathematical theorem, proving that it could serve as an easy, convenient solution for many geometry problems. The teacher-student team sent the theorem along with proof to a mathematician from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who became excited and wrote back that "it's good to see how Tamar's theorem provides elegant proof for other important mathematical theorems."

The proof was also sent to math lecturers at the University of Haifa, and Barbi and Gabriel-Morris were invited to give a lecture on it to some of the top math instructors in Israel.

Barbi remains unexcited. She is involved with theater arts, studies acting, plays the piano and the guitar, sings, and dances. "I don't think math will become my profession. I hope to work in theater arts," Barbi says. Eli Hurvitz, executive director of the Trump Foundation, which promotes math and science studies in Israel, said: "Once again, it's been proven that a great teacher, who challenges and supports [students], along with an ambitious and curious student, are a winning combination." Hurvitz added that in the future, Israeli students would use math to "develop medicines and technologies and make scientific breakthroughs."

Yael Branovsky