Fibonacci Friday

I am probably in over my head trying to write about this topic…

 

Fibonacci (also known as Leonardo of Pisa) was an Italian mathematician of the 12th and 13th centuries. He has been described as “the most talented Western mathematician of the Middle Ages.”

He is best known today for the Fibonacci sequence and for the golden ratio, although it is my understanding he did not directly write about the latter nor was he the first to discover the two concepts. Here is a Fibonacci sequence starting at 0 although it can actually start with any two numbers: 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55. The next number in the sequence, like all in the sequence, is the sum of the previous two numbers.

The golden ratio refers to the fact, I think, that no matter what two numbers start the sequence, within just a few numbers the ratio of the next-to-last to the last number will be the same: .618. (That is also shown as the ratio of the last to the next-to-last, 1.618.)

The golden ratio seems to occur naturally in some, but not all, places. For example, the spiral arrangement of leaves or petals on some plants follows the golden ratio.

Technical stock analysts–those who only use the prices of stocks and their movements, as opposed to analyzing company fundamentals such as profits and expected growth–use something called Fibonacci retracement points. These points are often used to draw support lines, identify resistance levels, place stop-loss orders, and set target prices.

To no one’s surprise, I first learned of Fibonacci and the golden ratio from Bill James. I don’t remember the exact context in which he wrote about Fibonacci, but that concept really resonated with me.

When you’re a math nerd afflicted with OCD, even if it’s OCD-lite, stuff like this is just gold. Sorry for the pun, maybe not.

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We are now in the second half of the delivery window for the parts needed to complete the repairs of the demon ogre–uh, the Z06. I am still quite worried that the deal for the 2022 Mustang GT will be nullified if the parts are not delivered in a timely manner. No one at the Ford dealership said this to me, and perhaps that the Z06 is literally next door means they are not worried, but I am genuinely concerned.

I also don’t want to call the dealership to ask; the axiom “let sleeping dogs lie” seems appropriate. As I have written ad infinitum, it is hell to live inside my head.

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While The Hall of Very Good Cars series ended prematurely, I still have the list of approximately two dozen cars that I was going to show. I’m really not sure what is motivating me to show one of those cars today, but here it is.

 

 

This is a 1954 Hudson Hornet Hollywood Hardtop. (You know how much I love alliteration.) Of course, that was the last model year for “real” Hudsons as they became badge-engineered Nashes (called Hashes by their detractors) not long after the 1954 merger of those two companies that created American Motors.

It’s not the drivetrain that interests me, particularly. It’s just something about the lines of the car that especially appeals to me.

Just like all pickup trucks look basically the same to me, I’m sure many people–even those who are car enthusiasts–think cars from the ’50s or cars from the ’20s all look pretty much the same. Actually, I think almost all brass-era cars look the same. Different strokes for different folks, DSFDF.

 

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Throwback Thursday Redux

Originally, I was going to write about the 1961-62 Primetime TV season (which was 60 years ago, of course), list the top five shows in the Nielsen ratings and then write about one of them. Upon reflection, I decided that was inorganic and since the top three shows were Westerns, I didn’t want to write about any of them, anyway. (By the way, Wagon Train was the #1 show in the Nielsen ratings for that season.)

I could have written about Henri Farman who on this day in 1908 became the first person to fly an observed circuit of more than one kilometer, winning the Grand Prix d’Aviation. That also seemed forced to me.

I don’t know if this is more of a Throwback Thursday or This Day In History, but on this day in 1906 the newly formed American Motor Car Manufacturer’s Association (AMCMA) held its first auto show. The event was held at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City. From Automotive History, a diagram of the layout:

 

 

Notice the mix of US and foreign manufacturers. The AMCMA shows were only held through 1910.

Although the Model T was still two years in the future, Ford led all American makes in sales in 1906 with the “lofty” figure of 8,729 cars. In some sources that number is actually shown as 2,798, quite a discrepancy and another reminder that record keeping has been imprecise for the vast majority of human history. At the larger figure that was basically equal to the combined sales for the next three makes: Cadillac, Rambler and Reo. (Of course, that analysis assumes the figures for those three makes are correct.) A far cry from today is that fewer than 1,000 trucks were produced compared to an overall industry output of over 33,000 cars.

Ford actually produced three models in 1906: the mid-level Model F, the low-price Model N, which could be thought of as the forerunner to the Model T, and the expensive ($2,500, about $80,000 in today’s dollars), six-cylinder Model K. From Wikimedia/Wikipedia a picture of a 1906 Ford Model K Tourer:

 

See the source image

 

The last year the Model K was produced was 1908, the year the Model T was introduced. By 1909, Ford was only manufacturing the Model T.

I have to admit that these brass era cars pretty much all look alike to me. Automotive styling before about 1930 is not interesting to me. Different strokes for different folks, DSFDF.

 

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