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Your Eddington Number

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Your Eddington Number

Old 06-11-20, 08:07 AM
  #1  
DaveLeeNC
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Your Eddington Number

I ran into the concept of the 'Eddington Number' yesterday. I am surprised that I have never heard of it. See https://swinny.net/Cycling/-4687-Cal...dington-Number . In a nutshell it is the biggest integer (N) where you have (in your cycling life) ridden N miles in a single day N or more times. So if your Eddington Number is 50 that means that you have ridden 50 miles in a single day 50 or more different days. But not 51 miles in 51 different days, 52 miles in ..., etc .

Just curious about Eddington #'s out there. I restarted my cycling in 2014 and would guess that mine is in the low-mid 40's. I am a relatively high mileage type 6-10K per year, but have to be cautious when going over 3 hours due to knee issues.

dave

ps. Sir Arthur Eddington is a early 20th century astro-physicist best known as the leader of the expedition that took star measurements (positional) during a 2019 eclipse (late edit - 1919 eclipse) and verified Einstein's General Theory of Relativity (and that measurement is what made Einstein a household name).

Last edited by DaveLeeNC; 07-11-21 at 12:03 PM.
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Old 06-11-20, 12:59 PM
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I'm pretty sure I've saw Eddington number mentioned here on BF a year or so ago. Interesting concept. I've been riding for about two years now. My Eddington number is 44. It was 41 last year, so I haven't added much to it this year. But only three more days of 45 miles or more and I'm up to 45.

If you use Strava, VeloViewer makes it easy to find out what the number is. I'm not sure I'd be able to calculate it otherwise.
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Old 06-11-20, 01:25 PM
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Yeah, it's come up in the past. Just checked mine and I'm at 59, which is about where I thought I'd be - I've been doing metric centuries fairly regularly in the last few years. I can get to 60 in two more rides, and 62 in seven more rides. After that, it gets to be a pretty tall order to move up.
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Old 06-15-20, 11:36 PM
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I just reached 55 yesterday. My goal is 60.

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Old 06-16-20, 02:23 AM
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44. I would have guessed closer to 30. I ride 4-5 times a week, usually around 20-30 miles depending on the variation of the same basic route.

Neck ache from old injuries tends to limit my saddle time to 50 miles max on any given day. If I do anything longer I need several breaks to stretch and massage my neck and shoulders.

Not sure this is something I'd be interested in enough to keep checking back on that site that does the calculations.
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Old 06-16-20, 05:14 AM
  #6  
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Oh I'm a 55, didn't think it would be that high but makes sense. First time I've used a separate app with Strava as well, pretty cool. Says I need 17 more days at 56 to get 56.
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Old 06-16-20, 10:33 AM
  #7  
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In the Strava era- since 2015, looks like

120 rides over 60 miles
86 rides over 70 miles
70 rides over 75 miles
62 rides over 80 miles
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Old 07-10-21, 05:00 PM
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I just heard about this one. Based on Strava, my number is 79.

Eddington was an astronomer, and in those circles, the Eddington number, named for the same person, is the number of protons in the observable universe. A much larger number, then.
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Old 07-10-21, 05:01 PM
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Originally Posted by woodcraft
In the Strava era- since 2015, looks like

120 rides over 60 miles
86 rides over 70 miles
70 rides over 75 miles
62 rides over 80 miles
So your Eddington number must be in the low 70s.
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Old 07-10-21, 06:47 PM
  #10  
ofajen
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Originally Posted by MinnMan
I just heard about this one. Based on Strava, my number is 79.

Eddington was an astronomer, and in those circles, the Eddington number, named for the same person, is the number of protons in the observable universe. A much larger number, then.
No idea about the bike thing, but I do carry around in my head an estimate of 10**79 which is a third less than Eddington’s, apparently.

Otto
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Old 07-10-21, 07:18 PM
  #11  
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My Bacon number could be 4 as I have a friend who's cousin is James Van Der Beek and he acted with Clark Gregg in a movie and then Clark Gregg acted in a movie with Kevin Bacon. I don't know if that fully counts as neither he nor I are actors but I am not a Kevologist.
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Old 07-10-21, 07:33 PM
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
Yeah, it's come up in the past. Just checked mine and I'm at 59, which is about where I thought I'd be - I've been doing metric centuries fairly regularly in the last few years. I can get to 60 in two more rides, and 62 in seven more rides. After that, it gets to be a pretty tall order to move up.
Huh. A year ago, I said that it'll be a tall order to to get beyond 62, but I just checked, and I'm now at 63, and should hit 64 tomorrow.

...and then it gets to be a pretty tall order to move up, again.

Actually, 65 is doable this year. 66 would be a stretch.
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Old 07-10-21, 07:56 PM
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Wow thanks for reminding me of this thread! 55 a year ago (+half a month) now I'm at a 56. 4 more days to get 57, right now that seems like it's a few months away still. My usual run is about 32 miles of gravel.

I have 24 more days till 64!
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Old 07-10-21, 07:58 PM
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Originally Posted by DaveLeeNC

ps. Sir Arthur Eddington is a early 20th century astro-physicist best known as the leader of the expedition that took star measurements (positional) during a 2019 eclipse and verified Einstein's General Theory of Relativity (and that measurement is what made Einstein a household name).
He lived well over one hundred years?
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Old 07-10-21, 08:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Koyote
He lived well over one hundred years?
I stated that Eddington was a key part of the team that did the 2019 eclipse measurements that verified Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. That was done during the eclipse in May of 1919, not 2019 (as I stated in error). dave
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Old 07-10-21, 11:03 PM
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77 (coincidentally) for me since I started using Strava in 2012.
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Old 07-11-21, 01:05 AM
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Originally Posted by veganbikes
My Bacon number could be 4 as I have a friend who's cousin is James Van Der Beek and he acted with Clark Gregg in a movie and then Clark Gregg acted in a movie with Kevin Bacon. I don't know if that fully counts as neither he nor I are actors but I am not a Kevologist.

I'm more impressed that your Van Der Beek number is 2. #TeamDawson
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Old 07-11-21, 11:11 AM
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Funny.

My Bacon number is two, with and Eddington number of 89.
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Old 07-11-21, 11:24 AM
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Eddington? Never heard of it...

I jest. Look left. Though my numbers are no where near as impressive as some of you, which gives me hope that my goal of ever increasing it can be achieved....if I can just convince my wife to let me out of the house for longer!

Using miles, I'm at at 68, and only need 5 more at 69 and 9 more at 70, and so on and so forth...
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Old 07-11-21, 11:58 AM
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Certainly 125 or maybe more.

I have been cycling for more than 40 years. I toured extensively for months at a time and usually did over 100 miles per day in moderate terrain, brevets, double centuries, 1200k, TABR, etc. I don't use Strava and it did not exist, so, who knows. I have done 1000+ miles per week seven times in my life, so, there is 49 times right there. Who knows. Who care. LOL
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Old 07-11-21, 02:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Koyote
He lived well over one hundred years?
In fact, he died quite young, though he did good distance right up until the end.

n is now 77. I think it was 75 when you were here. It made the last jump a few days ago when I took an eighty mile ride in the fen country. I have not been able to go on a cycling tour since 1940 because it is impossible to rely on obtaining accommodations for the night; so my records advance slowly (Sep 2, 1943).
And then he died in 1944

The "Eddington Number"
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Old 07-11-21, 03:13 PM
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Originally Posted by GhostRider62
Certainly 125 or maybe more.

I have been cycling for more than 40 years. I toured extensively for months at a time and usually did over 100 miles per day in moderate terrain, brevets, double centuries, 1200k, TABR, etc. I don't use Strava and it did not exist, so, who knows. I have done 1000+ miles per week seven times in my life, so, there is 49 times right there. Who knows. Who care. LOL
You have impressive numbers. And seeing as you bothered to post about them, the answer to "who cares?" includes.....you.
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Old 07-11-21, 03:21 PM
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My Eddington number is 62. Top 27%

You need 3 more days (of 63 miles or more) to achieve an Eddington number of 63
You need 12 more days (of 64 miles or more) to achieve an Eddington number of 64
You need 13 more days (of 65 miles or more) to achieve an Eddington number of 65
You need 18 more days (of 66 miles or more) to achieve an Eddington number of 66
You need 24 more days (of 67 miles or more) to achieve an Eddington number of 67
You need 28 more days (of 68 miles or more) to achieve an Eddington number of 68
You need 32 more days (of 69 miles or more) to achieve an Eddington number of 69
You need 33 more days (of 70 miles or more) to achieve an Eddington number of 70
You need 65 more days (of 80 miles or more) to achieve an Eddington number of 80
You need 79 more days (of 90 miles or more) to achieve an Eddington number of 90
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Old 07-11-21, 06:39 PM
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Originally Posted by tempocyclist
I'm more impressed that your Van Der Beek number is 2. #TeamDawson
Yeah it was pretty neat meeting him at a wedding and his wife and child. I tried to avoid the whole starstruck thing but it was pretty neat being almost cheek to the Beek.
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Old 07-12-21, 06:46 AM
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Originally Posted by MinnMan
You have impressive numbers. And seeing as you bothered to post about them, the answer to "who cares?" includes.....you.
Not really, I cared enough to think a few minutes about it but not enough to dig out the old training logs. It is a stupid metric really.
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