FLCC> Winter training question

[William Lodico]

So far, I've got only one response to my question, which is  
reproduced below.  There might be something to Wayde's analysis, but  
I've noticed the phenomenon even on the first martini, and I seldom  
drink more than one at a sitting.

Maybe I should be more precise:  It's not so much a rotation of the  
martini, as a swirling of the martini, simply by moving the glass  
around in a circle, that triggers the peculiar motion of the olive.   
Whichever way the liquid seems to swirl, the olive goes the other  
way.  In order to avoid spilling the valuable beverage, it's  
necessary to consume some of it before running the experiment, which  
of course might affect the integrity of the observation, as Wayde  
implies.  It would seem obvious, but I should probably specify that  
the martini must be served straight up, not on the rocks, shaken not  
stirred, in a classic stemmed cocktail glass.  The olive should not  
have a toothpick in it.  A pimento helps mark the rolling motion of  
the olive.  A proportion of four parts gin to one of dry vermouth  
seems to work well.

I'm wondering if it's part of the same phenomenon that causes me to  
require a stack of mattresses on both sides when riding on the  
rollers.  I'm hoping that the answer to the martini question will  
help me with my future roller training, and maybe allow me to leave  
the mattresses in the bedrooms next winter, instead of dragging them  
into the basement, where I do my rollering.  It might also help me to  
get more benefit from my roller training time, since I would spend  
more of it upright pedaling, and less of it more or less comfortably  
lying on my side, feet clipped into the pedals, watching old Tour de  
France tapes.

I've never been very good at the mechanics of stuff going round in  
circles, so I really could use some help here.

--Bill L

On Mar 23, 2008, at 1:11 PM, <bianchitt at stny.rr.com>  
<bianchitt at stny.rr.com> wrote:

> It's a visual illusion due to the numerous Martini's that you  
> consumed prior to the one you are speaking about!!
>
> Wayde, Binghamton
> ---- William Lodico <wlodico at stny.rr.com> wrote:
>> The winter training season is nearly over, but there's been a
>> question troubling me since the start of it.
>>
>> Since this listserve is populated with individuals highly proficient
>> in mathematics, physics, and various kinds of engineering, I thought
>> I would post my question here.
>>
>> How come, when I rotate my martini clockwise, the olive goes
>> counterclockwise?
>>
>> I'm sure your response will be of universal interest, so please post
>> it to list.
>>
>> Bill L
>