Part 10 (1/2)

Stocks were usually traded in eighths from the inception of securities trading in the United States in the 1790s. Eisenstadt believes that Americans simply borrowed the practice of quoting in eighths from the Europeans. As he notes, most early stockbrokers were part-timers, devoting most of their attention to the merchant trade, which had long quoted prices in eighths.

By the 1820s, stocks traded on the NYSE were universally quoted in eighths, but this was an informal arrangement; it became a requirement in 1885. The American and Pacific Stock Exchanges followed suit.

Although the history of our quoting stock prices in eighths makes historical sense, we don't understand why the exchanges still maintain the practice. When a stock dips to near zero, prices now are quoted in sixteenths and even thirty-seconds of a dollar, forcing financial tyc.o.o.ns to rely on their memory of grade-school fractional tables when doing calculations. And what happens when someone wants to sell his one share of stock quoted at 48 3/8? Who gets the extra half-cent?

Wouldn't it make more sense to quote all stocks in hundredths of a dollar? Why should two-dollar stocks have to rise or fall more than ten percent at a time when a 2% change in most stocks is considered significant? Roy Berces, of the Pacific Stock Exchange, acknowledges that our system is probably archaic, but sees no groundswell for changing tradition.

Submitted by E. B. Peschke of St. Charles, Missouri. Thanks also to John A. Bush of St. Louis, Missouri; Christopher Dondlinger of Longmont, Colorado; and Dave Klingensmith of Ca.n.a.l Fulton, Ohio.

Why Are Socks Angled at Approximately 115 to 125 Degrees When the Human Foot Is Angled at About 90 Degrees?

Not all socks are angled, of course. Tube socks are ”angled” at 180 degrees. Tube socks are so named because they are a straight tube of fabric closed on one end by sewing. The tube sock is constructed by ”full circular knitting” (i.e., the knitting head on the machine knits in a full circle).

A tube sock doesn't contain a designated position for the heel, but more conventional socks do. Most socks are knitted with a feature called the ”reciprocated heel.” Sid Smith, president and chief executive officer of the National a.s.sociation of Hosiery Manufacturers, told Imponderables how the reciprocated heel is made: Imagine a full circular knitting machine starting at the top of the sock and knitting in a complete circle all the way down the top of the sock, until it hits the point where the heel is to be knitted in. At this point, the machine automatically enters what is called the ”reciprocated function.” Instead of knitting in a complete circle, it knits halfway to each side and then back again, until the heel portion is knitted in.

After this is completed, the machine automatically reverts to full circular knitting to finish the sock. This reciprocation is what causes the finished sock to be angled.

The 115- to 125-degree angle of the sock, then, is the result of, rather than the purpose of, the knitting process. The fabrics used for socks will give or stretch to conform to the contours of the foot. Since a 180-degree tube sock can fit comfortably on the human foot, there is no reason why a conventional sock won't.

Submitted by Vernon K. Hurd of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Why Do Cattle Guards Work?

No, there aren't demons underground shooting BB pellets between the bars of the cattle guards. Cows are afraid to walk where their feet can't get solid footing.

Our correspondent mentions that he has seen painted white strips used as cattle guards, presumably tricking cows into thinking that the unpainted area is a black hole. Cows are evidently as subject to phobias as cowboys and cowgirls.

Submitted by A. M. Rizzi of Torrey, Vermont.

Why Are There No A- or B-Sized Batteries?

Because they are obsolete. A- and B-sized batteries once existed as component cells within much larger zinc carbon battery packs. The A cells supplied the low-voltage supply for the filaments in the vacuum tubes used to supply power to early radios and crank telephones.

Of course, the descendants of the old A- and B-sized batteries are still with us. As electronic devices have gotten smaller, so have the batteries that power them. As might be expected, the A cell came first, then B, C, and D cells. The batteries were lettered in ascending order of size. James Donahue, Jr., of Duracell, Inc., says that as cells smaller than the original A cells were developed, they were designated as AA and then AAA cells. Donahue reports that there is even a new AAAA battery.

So the old A- and B-sized batteries are no longer in production. It's no use having a battery larger than the device it powers.

Submitted by Larry Prussin of Yosemite, California. And thanks also to Herman E. London of Poughkeepsie, New York; Nancy Ondris of Kings Park, New York; and Ronald Herman of Montreal, Quebec.

What Are Those Little Plastic Circles (that Sometimes Have Rubber in the Middle) Found on the Walls of Hotels?

If you've noticed, those circles are located about three feet off the ground and usually near the entrance. They are called wall protectors, and their sole function in life is to keep doork.n.o.bs from slamming against the walls. And with some of the paperthin walls we've encountered in motels, wall protectors may be responsible for keeping the structural integrity of the building intact.

Submitted by Carol Rostad of New York, New York.

Why Does Starch Make Our s.h.i.+rts Stiff?

Starch is a type of ”sizing,” a filler used to add body, sheen, and l.u.s.ter to limp clothing. All s.h.i.+rts come off the rack with sizing, but sizing is water-soluble; every time the s.h.i.+rt is washed, sizing comes out of the s.h.i.+rt. The main purpose of adding starch, then, is to restore the original body of a garment.

The main ingredient in starch is wheat or, less frequently, corn. The grain is mixed with water, resins, and chemicals. As Bill Seitz, of the Neighborhood Cleaners a.s.sociation, describes it, the starch is literally absorbed by the fabric. Cotton plus wheat is stiffer than cotton alone.

Norman Oehlke, of International Fabricare Inst.i.tute, adds that starch also enhances soil resistance, facilitates soil removal for the next wash, and makes ironing easier.

Synthetic fabrics aren't as receptive to starch as all-cotton garments, so extra chemicals are added to the starch, such as polyvinyl acetate, sulfated fatty alcohols, silicones, and our personal favorite, carboxymethylcellulose.

Submitted by Kris Heim of De Pere, Wisconsin. Thanks also to Stanley R. Sieger of Pasadena, California.

How Does the Campbell Soup Company Determine Which Letters to Put in Their Alphabet Soup? Are There an Equal Number of Each Letter? Or Are the Letters Randomly Inserted in the Can?

We spoke to a delightful young woman at Campbell's named Ginny Marcin, who, astonis.h.i.+ngly, did not have the answers to these questions at her fingertips. But she spoke to the vice president of Letter Distribution and obtained the following information.