DITTO to Jim's post.

Emory,
Absolutely no need for embarassment. Your knowledge and willingness to share it are the kind of things that make this forum so beneficial.

Emory,
First off I want to thank you for pursuing this issue. I can't wait for Rodmaker to start arriving in the mail.
This rod sensitivity thread is some gee whizzy stuff to subject myself to so early in the morning but I doubt that a cup of coffee and drive down the road will make my thoughts on the subject any more lucid or answer the question I can't seem to put into words.
What visually observable phenomenon is there in nature that can illustrate what is happening as the energy from a strike travels along the taper of your rod blank in the amount of time it takes for the fisherman's brain to react?
I can't help but think that R-frequency and taper play a part. Does the energy imparted on the rod bounce up and down the rod blank at a high rate of speed until its dampened? What happenes as the taper changes? Is it comparable to what happens to an ocean swell as it nears the beach? If so, then does the rod get pushed? Does the energy get stacked up and then go SLAM!?