|
ol Al......
Good question. I've done a lot of thinking about how to best term or
describe the acceleration of the rod during an efficient stroke. This came up in
our workshop on, "Classroom Tips and Tactics" which Dennis Grant and I gave at
the Livingston Conclave.
Acceleration is, basically, a continued increase in speed. This can
be a steady, quantifiable increase in speed as it is in the case of an object
falling from a height. Here, one could use the terms, "steady" or
"sustained" acceleration.
Acceleration of the rod, however, is NOT this........It's a movement during
which not only the speed increases, but so does the very acceleration
itself. In other words, there is greater acceleration yielding even
greater speed near the end of an efficient stroke. The only, "gradual
acceleration" is at the very beginning of the stroke......and even this is
progressive. (This is best demonstrated with the careful pickup made on a
spring creek so as to disturb the water as little as possible.)
This is most graphically depicted in the acceleration curves produced by
the computer readouts of casts made with the use of the, "casting analyzer"
created by Noel Perkins and Bruce Richards.
Even this doesn't tell the whole story, because the device, which fits on
the butt end of the rod only measures angular change.....not linear
change. We know, however, that the movement of the rod embodies
BOTH. (They are working on an updated model which will show both, I
understand.)
My own term for describing this movement is, "ACCELERATED
ACCELERATION".
Having said this, I realize that even this doesn't tell the entire story,
because the acceleration of that acceleration is not a constant,
either......it's ever increasing at a variable rate of increase, depending upon
the caster's energy input.
SO.....we could go even further and call it, "PROGRESSIVELY ACCELERATED
ACCELERATION" to a stop.
Sort of reminds me of the time we were hosting the famous poet, Ogden Nash
at our college, many years ago. I was master of ceremonies at the
interview, when Ogden was challenged to come up spontaneously with a ditty which
would describe the infinity of the cosmos. Here's what he said:
"DOGS HAVE FLEAS AND PUPS HAVE FLEAS AND FLEAS HAVE FLEAS THAT BITE
UM.
THE LARGER FLEAS HAVE LESSER FLEAS AND SO ON INFINITUM !"
Gordy
|