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This spring, an 80-year-old Japanese chalk company went out of business. Nobody, perhaps, was as sad to see the company go as mathematicians who had become obsessed with Hagoromo Fulltouch Chalk, the so-called "Rolls Royce of chalk."
With whiteboards and now computers taking over classrooms, the company's demise seemed to mark the end of an era.
Being neither a mathematician nor a chalk artist, I heard about Hagoromo through my friend Dan, a mathematician finishing up his Ph.D. at Stanford. He recently appeared on a Japanese TV special about the demise of Hagoromo Bungu Co., where a TV crew came out to Stanford to interview mathematicians about the legendary chalk. One professor described hoarding enough of the stuff to keep him in chalk for the next 15 years. Dan is in the special too, calling the end of Hagoromo "a tragedy for mathematics."
Okay, he was obviously joking. But it is true that mathematicians are fanatics for this obscure Japanese chalk. Here you can see a long discussion online where mathematicians are hunting for Hagoromo chalk suppliers in the U.S. Satyan Devadoss, a Williams College math professor, even wrote a blog post calling it "dream chalk." He explained:
There have been rumors about a dream chalk, a chalk so powerful that mathematics practically writes itself; a chalk so amazing that no incorrect proof can be written using this chalk. I can finally say, after months of pursuit, that such a chalk indeed exists.
Similar reactions have been noted in the past from artists about the demise of Pearl Paints, or from photographers about Polaroid film. Any mathematicians care to weigh in?
[Editor's note: Here is a story link for those clamoring for one.. :) ]
Original Submission
(Score: 2) by looorg on Thursday June 18 2015, @05:08PM
This must be some very niche mathematicians and math-departments that horde chalk. Hoarding chalk seems like something really old geezer or math-hipster would do. I don't think there has been a chalkboard in use here for over a decade. Last time I saw and used one was in the mid 90s. It's all whiteboard and smartboards (the once you can hook up to a computer) now. If there even is a chalkboard around it's down in the storage-dungeon where old things go to die.
There might be people that like chalk, it makes a distinct sound -- there is a smell. They might like the tactile feeling of holding it. This would/could be just like people that use typewriters instead of computers. We all have our little quirks. In this case it might be some kind of math nostalgia. I never felt that tho.
(Score: 2) by KGIII on Thursday June 18 2015, @08:03PM
I have my PhD in Applied Mathematics so, I suppose, you could call me a mathematician. I can confirm that I have absolutely no preference for any brand of chalk, I have no love of chalk, and I am allergic to chalk dust (though it is not too terrible).
On the other hand, you will pry my slipstick from my cold dead hands.
As an aside, my career involved maths but was not, by any means, exclusively maths. I suppose I am technically a mathematician but, really, I do not prefer the title. If anything I prefer the term 'mathemagician' because it is enjoyable using numbers to mess with someone's head. (Un)Fortunately, it is good that few understand my humor.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Thursday June 18 2015, @08:08PM
Where is "here"? When I was at school at the University of Michigan everything outside of the new Computer Science building was chalkboards. I graduated from there in 2010 and went to Oakland University, where the Engineering department was still all chalkboards.
One nice thing about chalk is you know how much is left. I swear the dry erase markers have unionized and decide to all run out of ink at the same time!