Hergert Numbers at Independence Hall

On July 8th of 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read publicly for the first time in the courtyard outside Independence Hall. Today, I declared that possible inflection points shall be called Hergert numbers from this day forward in that same courtyard (shown above).

While I wore my shirt for about 8 hours of sightseeing today, I only got one bite from a guy working at the site of Benjamin Franklin's house. He asked, "What kind of numbers?" because my backpack/man purse was blocking part of the name. So, I gave him the short story of where the term comes from and how I was working to popularize it. He couldn't help much as far as getting into the standard Calculus vocabulary, but he was very supportive of the idea. He also told me if he were in charge, he would make policemen, military soldiers, and teachers the highest paid occupations. So, if a former tour guide dude from Philadelphia ever runs for President of the United States, make sure you get out and campaign for him.

And while you're at it, please wear your Hergert Numbers t-shirt and help spread the word!

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Hergert Numbers

Today, I took the Hergert Numbers movement to the City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia. I proudly wore my shirt as we did an extensive tour of the historical district of the city. In the Liberty Bell Center, they had pictures of many famous people with the Liberty Bell. Folks such as, Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Dalai Lama. I think the photo above should be added to this group, as well.

Spontaneous Hergert Numbers Outburst

There was a gathering of Hergert Numbers t-shirt wearers spotted outside the Rock Valley College Math Lab this afternoon. We have not seen this many in one location since 2009 when the craze began. We now have photographic evidence that they come in a color besides blue. I think a green Hergert Numbers shirt would be a lovely gift for St. Patty's Day!

Gustafson Prize winner supports Hergert Numbers

This afternoon, the Rock Valley College Mathematics Department gave out the R. David Gustafson Prize, awarded annually to the top math student at the college. You can read more about the award here. This year's recipient was Carson Meena, who has been a longtime supporter of the Hergert Numbers initiative.

The only question is, with a camera present from local ABC affiliate WTVO and an overflow crowd of people jammed into the classroom to see the award presentation, what's up with Carson's choice of math t-shirts? I hope Carson remembers this lost opportunity the next time he receives a prestigious math award.

But seriously, congratulations to Carson on this outstanding achievement! He undoubtedly deserves this honor.

Sub Surprise!

Mrs. Almy had to go out of town for a meeting, so I volunteered to teach her class for her today. I got to the classroom a few minutes early and was getting myself situated at the front of the room when a group of her students wandered in. Much to my surprise, two of them were wearing Hergert Numbers t-shirts! And to add to the surprise, one of them was a fabulous kelly green!! I had never seen a Hergert Numbers shirt in any color other than the original blue, so that was quite a treat. I later found out that there's even a purple shirt out there somewhere.

It's awesome that the Hergert Numbers sensation is spreading to classes other than my own. Now, we just need these students to fan out across America as they transfer to finish their college careers and take the message with them. And in no time at all, Hergert Numbers will be standard Calculus terminology!

A Tradition Unlike Any Other: Hergert Numbers at The Masters

This week, I had the rare opportunity to go inside the gates at the most exclusive golf tournament in the world - The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. I couldn't help but take advantage of this opportunity by spreading the word by wearing my Hergert Numbers t-shirt. Calculus is obviously a huge part of golf as the players try to maximize their driving distance and minimize their score, so it seemed only natural to bring awareness of the Hergert Numbers to the greatest golfers in the world.

I had a bit of a challenge getting to Augusta as my plane out of Chicago was struck by lightning on takeoff and an 8-inch crescent shaped piece of the wing went missing. After about 30 minutes of contemplation, the pilots decided to head back to Chicago (and the thunderstorms) to get a new plane. After a couple hours of delays, we were airborne again and made it to Columbia, South Carolina in time for a couple hours of sleep before venturing off to the tournament.

Since sponsorship is such a large part of being a professional golfer, I think my next goal is to arrange for a tour pro to be sponsored by the Hergert Numbers. I think the definition would look great on a golf bag!

2010 IMACC Conference

Since I was the president of the Illinois Mathematics Association of Community Colleges (IMACC) for 2009-10, I couldn't help but take advantage of this opportunity to spread the word as much as possible over the course of the annual conference that was my responsibility to program.

Here, I'm pictured with Doug Shaw from the University of Northern Iowa who reacted quite enthusiastically to the Hergert Numbers concept. He was very pleased to be presented with his very own Hergert Numbers t-shirt as a token of my appreciation for the three excellent talks he did on Friday.