Ptolemy and Homer (Simpson)

Why HN readers recommended it

HN uses it as a vivid demonstration that Fourier series and epicycles can fit anything, and as a warning about models with too much wiggle room.

This is a summary from the source dataset, not an endorsement by Hacker News or the video creator.

Video & recommendation details

Creator / channel

Santiago Ginnobili

Topic

epicycles and fourier series

Format

demo

Level

general

HN recommenders in dataset

3

HN mentions in dataset

9

Recommendation years in dataset

2013–2022

These counts and years describe the included Hacker News records; they are not YouTube views or the video’s publication date.

From the original HN conversations

Excerpts from the recorded comments. Follow each source for the full comment and surrounding discussion.

• These guys are one of the reasons I love mathematics. Check this out too: [VIDEO] Edit: Didn't realize that this was also linked to in another thread on the front page as well.

• I'm only seeing an image, with no explanation, and it took me a while to realise what it was showing; so, in case anyone else is puzzled by it, each image is the sum of the previous one with a new factor (indicated by the …

• I tl;dr'ed the article (sorry), but I wanted to say one thing about epicycles. They are not wrong and certainly can be used to explain motion, but the problem with them is that you can keep adding epicycles to fit any continuous orbit at all …