Shortly after 害羞草研究所淢ath in Drag害羞草研究所� hit the shelves in book stores across North America, author Kyne Santos found herself in a New York City elevator with renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

害羞草研究所淚 was just, like, fangirling so hard,害羞草研究所� she said in a recent video interview about last week害羞草研究所檚 chance meeting, Rubik害羞草研究所檚 cube earrings dangling from her lobes. 害羞草研究所淎nd you know what害羞草研究所檚 crazy? He knew who I was.害羞草研究所�

Of course he did. She害羞草研究所檚 Kyne.

Santos was a contestant on the first season of the television show Canada害羞草研究所檚 Drag Race, but she害羞草研究所檚 perhaps more widely known on TikTok, where she guides 1.5 million followers into a glittering world of mathematics. In her videos, and now with her book, she reveals the wonders of infinities and imaginary numbers, showing that math is a mind-bending universe that pushes the limits of our imagination 害羞草研究所� just like drag.

害羞草研究所淢ath is really about creativity,害羞草研究所� she said from her home in Kitchener, Ont. 害羞草研究所淪ometimes in math, we question our assumptions, we rewrite our definitions, we rethink our frameworks. And really, it is a lot like drag because they害羞草研究所檙e both creative, we do them both for fun, and they both operate in metaphors and abstraction, and tearing down stereotypes and frameworks and rebuilding them from the ground up.害羞草研究所�

Santos has always been good at math, but she fell in love with it participating in high school math competitions, she said, where the questions were less about computing an answer than about taking apart ideas and figuring out why something is true. She said competitions showed her that math went beyond memorizing formulas.

害羞草研究所淭he way that we害羞草研究所檙e teaching math to kids is 害羞草研究所� a lot like teaching art to kids by having them paint a fence,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e not going to walk away from that thinking, 害羞草研究所業 love art.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟

During high school was also when she fell in love with drag. She experimented with makeup and launched a YouTube channel giving beauty tutorials, and eventually evolved into Kyne, the drag queen.

害羞草研究所淚 saw RuPaul害羞草研究所檚 Drag Race for the first time and I saw that these queens were just creative, sensitive souls like I was who played with makeup, and extended it into hair pieces and costumes and wigs and song and dance, just everything that I love,害羞草研究所� she said.

She was at the University of Waterloo doing an undergraduate math degree when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and she used her time in lockdown to make her first TikTok video about math, in full drag. Recording a video as Kyne, she said, was a way to invite her audience into a creative, more open state of mind 害羞草研究所� the same state she hopes they害羞草研究所檒l use with mathematics.

It seems to have worked: the videos took off.

Released March 5, 害羞草研究所淢ath in Drag害羞草研究所� blends Kyne害羞草研究所檚 personal history with accessible explorations of higher-level mathematical concepts. In one chapter, she writes about her father害羞草研究所檚 death, and uses a story about his fastidiousness with money to explain exponential growth. In another, she writes about the homophobia drag queens face for pushing gender boundaries, linking it to mathematical concepts that break the rules, like a graph that seems to allow dividing by zero, which, according to the average calculator, is strictly forbidden.

The history of mathematics has a lot to teach people who support anti-LGTBQ hate and protest drag shows, she said.

For example, the concept of zero was wildly controversial before it assumed its rightful spot on the number line. The idea forced mathematicians, scientists, philosophers 害羞草研究所� even the Catholic Church 害羞草研究所� to re-examine their idea of what a number is and could be.

害羞草研究所淲hy can害羞草研究所檛 we do that with drag? Why can害羞草研究所檛 we do that with everything?害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淲hen we encounter new things in the wild, instead of saying, 害羞草研究所楾hat doesn害羞草研究所檛 fit the definition,害羞草研究所� we should just change the definitions, and we should rewrite the frameworks to include other types of people.害羞草研究所�

Santos was selected to be part of the first season of Canada害羞草研究所檚 Drag Race 害羞草研究所� a reality competition for drag queens, based on the American version of Rupaul害羞草研究所檚 Drag Race 害羞草研究所� which aired in 2020. She was sent home after the second episode, but she said the experience taught her to trust herself and lean into her strengths, like teaching about math.

She admires the British mathematician Eugenia Cheng, whose book 害羞草研究所淗ow to Bake Pi害羞草研究所� uses dessert recipes to explain an abstract branch of math called category theory. She also admires RuPaul, who is credited with helping to bring drag mainstream.

害羞草研究所淚 think that what RuPaul has done has opened up the doors for queens like me to do different things in drag, like put out a book and be on television,害羞草研究所� Santos said. 害羞草研究所淚 really respect her hustle.害羞草研究所�

She害羞草研究所檚 set to begin a cross-Canada tour for 害羞草研究所淢ath in Drag害羞草研究所� next month. She also wants to keep teaching, perhaps beyond TikTok, and maybe go to graduate school.

And after that elevator ride last week, she may even be a guest on deGrasse Tyson害羞草研究所檚 podcast.

害羞草研究所淚 love doing what I do. I love educating people. I love doing the TikTok videos,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚f I could just do this forever, I害羞草研究所檇 be so happy with that.害羞草研究所�