Subject
Fw: Re: lemniscate and bicycling
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EDNOTE. NABOKV-L thanks Mary Kimmel for this bit of forwarded expertise on
Pale Fire's famous "lemniscate."
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mary Krimmel" <mary@krimmel.net>
>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (65
lines) ------------------
> Orion gave this fine response to a question I asked on a geometry list.
The
> question was inspired by some of the discussion about line 137 of Shade's
> poem. Orion is clearly a man of many talents.
>
> Mary Krimmel
>
> >Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003
> >From: orion <orion@elenzil.com>
> >To: Mary Krimmel <mary@krimmel.net>
> >Subject: Re: lemniscate and bicycling
> >
> >Hi Mary.
> >
> >i am something of a bicyclist, and
> >my short and brutal answer is that i imagine
> >the poet was just discounting or romanticising
> >the dual tracks which would be left by
> >an ordinary person bicycling a figure-8.
> >
> >altho i think impressionistically speaking,
> >this is totally valid: you look, and
> >you see a figure 8.
> >
> >for a Precisish lemniscate,
> >from a regular bicyclist,
> >i agree the figure would
> >have to be failry large.
> >Say 25 feet along the major axis.
> >Even then, since it's in sand,
> >you'd need to be extremely deft
> >to do it nonchalantly.
> >
> >A unicyclist would have trouble
> >making a smooth lemniscate because
> >much of the nature of unicycling
> >involves turning slightly left & right
> >with each cycle of the wheel.
> >Especially i think when turning,
> >and doubly-especially in a medium
> >as difficult as sand.
> >
> >I'd think it more possible in fact
> >that the rider was skilled with a
> >2-wheel bicycle, and was performing
> >a large wheelie all the way around.
> >
> >In my experience it would be impossible
> >to carve a figure-8 without having one
> >wheel follow in the tracks of the other.
> >
> >I'll try to do some experiments tomorrow.
> >
> >Is Pale Fire good ?
> >I just recently read Lolita and found it
> >to be one of the best-written books i've
> >ever read, hands-down.
> >But then i read Invitation to a Beheading
> >and found it, uh, tending towards simplistic.
> >
> >okay.
>
>
>
>
>
Pale Fire's famous "lemniscate."
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mary Krimmel" <mary@krimmel.net>
>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (65
lines) ------------------
> Orion gave this fine response to a question I asked on a geometry list.
The
> question was inspired by some of the discussion about line 137 of Shade's
> poem. Orion is clearly a man of many talents.
>
> Mary Krimmel
>
> >Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003
> >From: orion <orion@elenzil.com>
> >To: Mary Krimmel <mary@krimmel.net>
> >Subject: Re: lemniscate and bicycling
> >
> >Hi Mary.
> >
> >i am something of a bicyclist, and
> >my short and brutal answer is that i imagine
> >the poet was just discounting or romanticising
> >the dual tracks which would be left by
> >an ordinary person bicycling a figure-8.
> >
> >altho i think impressionistically speaking,
> >this is totally valid: you look, and
> >you see a figure 8.
> >
> >for a Precisish lemniscate,
> >from a regular bicyclist,
> >i agree the figure would
> >have to be failry large.
> >Say 25 feet along the major axis.
> >Even then, since it's in sand,
> >you'd need to be extremely deft
> >to do it nonchalantly.
> >
> >A unicyclist would have trouble
> >making a smooth lemniscate because
> >much of the nature of unicycling
> >involves turning slightly left & right
> >with each cycle of the wheel.
> >Especially i think when turning,
> >and doubly-especially in a medium
> >as difficult as sand.
> >
> >I'd think it more possible in fact
> >that the rider was skilled with a
> >2-wheel bicycle, and was performing
> >a large wheelie all the way around.
> >
> >In my experience it would be impossible
> >to carve a figure-8 without having one
> >wheel follow in the tracks of the other.
> >
> >I'll try to do some experiments tomorrow.
> >
> >Is Pale Fire good ?
> >I just recently read Lolita and found it
> >to be one of the best-written books i've
> >ever read, hands-down.
> >But then i read Invitation to a Beheading
> >and found it, uh, tending towards simplistic.
> >
> >okay.
>
>
>
>
>