Skip to Main Content

News

Do Dogs Know Calculus? Bifurcations at the Beach

Oct 11 2023


Timothy J Pennings from Calvin University spoke to a group of students and faculty on October 20, 2023.  He showed that dogs – at least his dog, Elvis – knew calculus. That is, Elvis could find the optimal – fastest – route to a ball thrown into the water some distance down the beach. But what happened when Elvis is positioned in the water and retrieved a ball that is also in the water? When should he swim straight to the ball, and when should he swim in to the shore, run along the shore, and then swim back out to the ball? What is the bifurcation point for the change in optimal strategy? Did Elvis bifurcate? There were many affirmative answers as students reviewed some of the mathematics learned in their courses.

  • President’s Welcome Speech: ‘Making Room’

    In the first convocation of the 2025-26 academic year, President Stoltzfus gives her welcome address and announces student awardees.

  • Lasting Ties: “So small as to be ridiculous…”

    On September 6, 1924, Harold S. ’18 and Elizabeth Horsch Bender ’18 sailed into the port of New York. They were returning from a year of study in Germany, just in time for Harold to join the faculty of the…

  • Living True Evangelical Faith

    This article originally appeared in the Spring/Summer 2025 issue of The Bulletin What does it mean to live out “true evangelical faith” today? Inspired by Menno Simons’ timeless words and in honor of the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism, this series…