Skip to content
By using Twitter’s services you agree to our Cookies Use. We and our partners operate globally and use cookies, including for analytics, personalisation, and ads.

For the best Twitter experience, please use Microsoft Edge, or install the Twitter app from Microsoft Store.

  • Home Home Home, current page.
  • About

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Language: English
    • Bahasa Indonesia
    • Bahasa Melayu
    • Català
    • Čeština
    • Dansk
    • Deutsch
    • English UK
    • Español
    • Filipino
    • Français
    • Hrvatski
    • Italiano
    • Magyar
    • Nederlands
    • Norsk
    • Polski
    • Português
    • Română
    • Slovenčina
    • Suomi
    • Svenska
    • Tiếng Việt
    • Türkçe
    • Ελληνικά
    • Български език
    • Русский
    • Српски
    • Українська мова
    • עִבְרִית
    • العربية
    • فارسی
    • मराठी
    • हिन्दी
    • বাংলা
    • ગુજરાતી
    • தமிழ்
    • ಕನ್ನಡ
    • ภาษาไทย
    • 한국어
    • 日本語
    • 简体中文
    • 繁體中文
  • Have an account? Log in
    Have an account?
    · Forgot password?

    New to Twitter?
    Sign up
robertghrist's profile
ProfGhristMath
ProfGhristMath
ProfGhristMath
@robertghrist

Tweets

ProfGhristMath

@robertghrist

illustrating & animating mathematics; penn professor; paterfamilias

philadelphia, pa
youtube.com/c/ProfGhristMa…
Joined August 2008

Tweets

  • © 2020 Twitter
  • About
  • Help Center
  • Terms
  • Privacy policy
  • Imprint
  • Cookies
  • Ads info
Dismiss
Previous
Next

Go to a person's profile

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @

Promote this Tweet

Block

  • Tweet with a location

    You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more

    Your lists

    Create a new list


    Under 100 characters, optional

    Privacy

    Copy link to Tweet

    Embed this Tweet

    Embed this Video

    Add this Tweet to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Add this video to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Hmm, there was a problem reaching the server.

    By embedding Twitter content in your website or app, you are agreeing to the Twitter Developer Agreement and Developer Policy.

    Preview

    Why you're seeing this ad

    Log in to Twitter

    · Forgot password?
    Don't have an account? Sign up »

    Sign up for Twitter

    Not on Twitter? Sign up, tune into the things you care about, and get updates as they happen.

    Sign up
    Have an account? Log in »

    Two-way (sending and receiving) short codes:

    Country Code For customers of
    United States 40404 (any)
    Canada 21212 (any)
    United Kingdom 86444 Vodafone, Orange, 3, O2
    Brazil 40404 Nextel, TIM
    Haiti 40404 Digicel, Voila
    Ireland 51210 Vodafone, O2
    India 53000 Bharti Airtel, Videocon, Reliance
    Indonesia 89887 AXIS, 3, Telkomsel, Indosat, XL Axiata
    Italy 4880804 Wind
    3424486444 Vodafone
    » See SMS short codes for other countries

    Confirmation

     

    Welcome home!

    This timeline is where you’ll spend most of your time, getting instant updates about what matters to you.

    Tweets not working for you?

    Hover over the profile pic and click the Following button to unfollow any account.

    Say a lot with a little

    When you see a Tweet you love, tap the heart — it lets the person who wrote it know you shared the love.

    Spread the word

    The fastest way to share someone else’s Tweet with your followers is with a Retweet. Tap the icon to send it instantly.

    Join the conversation

    Add your thoughts about any Tweet with a Reply. Find a topic you’re passionate about, and jump right in.

    Learn the latest

    Get instant insight into what people are talking about now.

    Get more of what you love

    Follow more accounts to get instant updates about topics you care about.

    Find what's happening

    See the latest conversations about any topic instantly.

    Never miss a Moment

    Catch up instantly on the best stories happening as they unfold.

    ProfGhristMath‏ @robertghrist Jan 20
    • Report Tweet

    henry wente: geometer & teacher. he left this world today: 20-jan-2020. he's the reason i'm a mathematician.

    1:53 PM - 20 Jan 2020
    • 41 Retweets
    • 269 Likes
    • Charlie Law Peter Clark 🧢 Asher Syed Artur Correia Jose Venegas Karthik Nandigama Mike Hill Greg Warrington Chris Mavrogiannis
    6 replies 41 retweets 269 likes
      1. New conversation
      2. ProfGhristMath‏ @robertghrist Jan 20
        • Report Tweet

        i was an engineering undergraduate at the university of toledo, ohio, in 1987. i had AP calculus in high school, but there was an "honors calculus 1 for engineers" course, so i signed up for that. the teacher was *so* *weird*. his name was dr. wente.

        1 reply 2 retweets 21 likes
        Show this thread
      3. ProfGhristMath‏ @robertghrist Jan 20
        • Report Tweet

        he was socially awkward in that clearly-brilliant way. we just all thought he was weird. then, one day, there was an announcement for a research talk in the math department that had a funny picture: (image credit https://www.math.uni-tuebingen.de/user/nick/gallery/WenteTorus.html …)pic.twitter.com/Sbo5xCH19k

        1 reply 2 retweets 22 likes
        Show this thread
      4. ProfGhristMath‏ @robertghrist Jan 20
        • Report Tweet

        we engineering students were agog: the picture was labelled a "wente torus". we couldn't figure out why somebody would name something after our weird calc prof.

        1 reply 2 retweets 20 likes
        Show this thread
      5. ProfGhristMath‏ @robertghrist Jan 20
        • Report Tweet

        we asked him about it -- to distract from class, of course. he muttered something about curvature blah^3. he was so earnest and shy about it. like he was talking about love. he was talking about a torus.

        1 reply 1 retweet 23 likes
        Show this thread
      6. ProfGhristMath‏ @robertghrist Jan 20
        • Report Tweet

        eventually, i learned about the "wente tori" -- the counterexamples to conjecture of h. hopf on constant-mean-curvature surfaces that had remained open for so long. the original "wente torus" -- a CMC torus -- came as a surprise.

        1 reply 3 retweets 17 likes
        Show this thread
      7. ProfGhristMath‏ @robertghrist Jan 20
        • Report Tweet

        henry wente worked on this tirelessly while he was a tenure-track professor at tufts (iirc). he was turned down for tenure. thankfully, the university of toledo gave him a position. he stayed at toledo for the rest of his career.

        1 reply 1 retweet 16 likes
        Show this thread
      8. ProfGhristMath‏ @robertghrist Jan 20
        • Report Tweet

        it took time, but i stopped thinking of him as a comic calc prof, and started getting to know him. he was an amazing teacher & i learned so much from him. so, i took more classes from him. i took 12 classes from him. anything i could get.

        1 reply 2 retweets 25 likes
        Show this thread
      9. ProfGhristMath‏ @robertghrist Jan 20
        • Report Tweet

        henry wente was the first person who taught me that mathematicians do research -- that there's more to discover -- that even when the rest of the world says a thing shouldn't exist, it may yet be found.

        1 reply 3 retweets 31 likes
        Show this thread
      10. ProfGhristMath‏ @robertghrist Jan 20
        • Report Tweet

        i never thought about being a mathematician -- even the idea of going to graduate school was not part of my culture growing up. but henry wente more than anyone taught me that there's this vast unknown world of crazy objects that we can just barely imagine with enough effort.

        1 reply 1 retweet 31 likes
        Show this thread
      11. ProfGhristMath‏ @robertghrist Jan 20
        • Report Tweet

        & now he's gone. i've been so lucky to have the chance to pay it forward by teaching lots of engineering students calculus. (& not minding being thought of as weird) i've been so lucky to have a job where i can find new things too, sometimes.

        1 reply 2 retweets 40 likes
        Show this thread
      12. ProfGhristMath‏ @robertghrist Jan 20
        • Report Tweet

        farewell dr. wente. god bless you. thank you for who you were & all you did.

        3 replies 3 retweets 70 likes
        Show this thread
      13. End of conversation

    Loading seems to be taking a while.

    Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.

      Promoted Tweet

      false

      • © 2020 Twitter
      • About
      • Help Center
      • Terms
      • Privacy policy
      • Imprint
      • Cookies
      • Ads info