[metmom]

If he can even understand what he did, he still rates up there with the best.

Most kids at 16 struggle with trig. Of course, my sample is pulled from your average American teen so is likely not representative of what the average well educated teen is capable of.

It would be interesting to know if he did this on his own or if he *cheated*.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I taught myself calculus (thoroughly) from a textbook independent of any class. (My Calc-I prof hated me.) I still recall that I "discovered" Euler's identity about two pages before I read it in the book. Of course, the author was setting the reader up to understand it, no one showed Euler the way.