Some lucky NMC calculus students arrived for their regular Wednesday lecture this week to find they had a world-famous tutor for the day.
Elvis, a 12-year-old Corgi, and his owner, Tim Pennings, associate professor of mathematics at Hope College in Holland, Mich. stopped in at the invitation of NMC Math department head Jack Berman for a demonstration.
Using the hallway on the second floor of the Biederman Building as a makeshift lab, Pennings threw tennis balls for Elvis to chase, demonstrating how Elvis innately demonstrates concepts of calculus in the way he pursues the ball.
Pennings said he first noticed Elvis’ approach when playing with Elvis on a beach, throwing balls into the water. Elvis didn’t, as most dogs do, chase straight after the ball into water, rather he would run along the beach until he was closer to the ball, then go into the water after it. Elvis was taking the quickest route to the ball, not necessarily the shortest.
Pennings and Elvis have been featured on CNN, where Pennings further explains Elvis’ abilities.