Why Cats Land on Their Feet

Why Cats Land on Their Feet PDF Author: Mark Levi
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400841720
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
How to use physical reasoning to solve surprising paradoxes Ever wonder why cats land on their feet? Or what holds a spinning top upright? Or whether it is possible to feel the Earth's rotation in an airplane? Why Cats Land on Their Feet is a compendium of paradoxes and puzzles that readers can solve using their own physical intuition. And the surprising answers to virtually all of these astonishing paradoxes can be arrived at with no formal knowledge of physics. Mark Levi introduces each physical problem, sometimes gives a hint or two, and then fully explains the solution. Here readers can test their critical-thinking skills against a whole assortment of puzzles and paradoxes involving floating and diving, sailing and gliding, gymnastics, bike riding, outer space, throwing a ball from a moving car, centrifugal force, gyroscopic motion, and, of course, falling cats. Want to figure out how to open a wine bottle with a book? Or how to compute the square root of a number using a tennis shoe and a watch? Why Cats Land on Their Feet shows you how, and all that's required is a familiarity with basic high-school mathematics. This lively collection also features an appendix that explains all physical concepts used in the book, from Newton's laws to the fundamental theorem of calculus.

Why Cats Land on Their Feet

Why Cats Land on Their Feet PDF Author: Mark Levi
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400841720
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 205

Get Book Here

Book Description
How to use physical reasoning to solve surprising paradoxes Ever wonder why cats land on their feet? Or what holds a spinning top upright? Or whether it is possible to feel the Earth's rotation in an airplane? Why Cats Land on Their Feet is a compendium of paradoxes and puzzles that readers can solve using their own physical intuition. And the surprising answers to virtually all of these astonishing paradoxes can be arrived at with no formal knowledge of physics. Mark Levi introduces each physical problem, sometimes gives a hint or two, and then fully explains the solution. Here readers can test their critical-thinking skills against a whole assortment of puzzles and paradoxes involving floating and diving, sailing and gliding, gymnastics, bike riding, outer space, throwing a ball from a moving car, centrifugal force, gyroscopic motion, and, of course, falling cats. Want to figure out how to open a wine bottle with a book? Or how to compute the square root of a number using a tennis shoe and a watch? Why Cats Land on Their Feet shows you how, and all that's required is a familiarity with basic high-school mathematics. This lively collection also features an appendix that explains all physical concepts used in the book, from Newton's laws to the fundamental theorem of calculus.

Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics

Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics PDF Author: Gregory J. Gbur
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300231296
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
How do cats land on their feet? Discover how this question stumped brilliant minds and how its answer helped solve other seemingly impossible puzzles The question of how falling cats land on their feet has long intrigued humans. In this playful and eye-opening history, physicist and cat parent Gregory Gbur explores how attempts to understand the cat-righting reflex have provided crucial insights into puzzles in mathematics, geophysics, neuroscience, and human space exploration. The result is an engaging tumble through physics, physiology, photography, and robotics to uncover, through scientific debate, the secret of the acrobatic performance known as cat-turning, the cat flip, and the cat twist. Readers learn the solution but also discover that the finer details still inspire heated arguments. As with other cat behavior, the more we investigate, the more surprises we discover.

Geometry, Mechanics, and Control in Action for the Falling Cat

Geometry, Mechanics, and Control in Action for the Falling Cat PDF Author: Toshihiro Iwai
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9811606889
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
The falling cat is an interesting theme to pursue, in which geometry, mechanics, and control are in action together. As is well known, cats can almost always land on their feet when tossed into the air in an upside-down attitude. If cats are not given a non-vanishing angular momentum at an initial instant, they cannot rotate during their motion, and the motion they can make in the air is vibration only. However, cats accomplish a half turn without rotation when landing on their feet. In order to solve this apparent mystery, one needs to thoroughly understand rotations and vibrations. The connection theory in differential geometry can provide rigorous definitions of rotation and vibration for many-body systems. Deformable bodies of cats are not easy to treat mechanically. A feasible way to approach the question of the falling cat is to start with many-body systems and then proceed to rigid bodies and, further, to jointed rigid bodies, which can approximate the body of a cat. In this book, the connection theory is applied first to a many-body system to show that vibrational motions of the many-body system can result in rotations without performing rotational motions and then to the cat model consisting of jointed rigid bodies. On the basis of this geometric setting, mechanics of many-body systems and of jointed rigid bodies must be set up. In order to take into account the fact that cats can deform their bodies, three torque inputs which may give a twist to the cat model are applied as control inputs under the condition of the vanishing angular momentum. Then, a control is designed according to the port-controlled Hamiltonian method for the model cat to perform a half turn and to halt the motion upon landing. The book also gives a brief review of control systems through simple examples to explain the role of control inputs.

Why Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet?

Why Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet? PDF Author: Marty Becker, D.V.M.
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
ISBN: 0757305733
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Uses a question-and-answer format to present a variety of information about cats.

Rotation, Reflection, and Frame Changes

Rotation, Reflection, and Frame Changes PDF Author: Rebecca M. Brannon
Publisher: IOP Publishing Limited
ISBN: 9780750314527
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Rotation, Reflection, and Frame Changes is an engineer's practical resource for rotation-related theorems that might otherwise be difficult to find in the literature. By providing extensive tutorials in requisite mathematics, intuitive insight, and computer source code, this work stands as a definitive contribution to engineering mechanics.

How to Land on Your Feet

How to Land on Your Feet PDF Author: Jamie Shelman
Publisher: The Experiment + ORM
ISBN: 1615195939
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 117

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Book Description
Why spend one life worrying . . . when you could spend nine lives napping? Take it from artist Jamie Shelman's wry and furry felines: Cats work reasonable hours (zero), love wisely (from a distance), and live boldly (until someone starts vacuuming). Don't go without these 100 sage lessons: ·Be especially attentive to the one person who doesn’t like you. ·Get away with murder by looking cute. ·Ignore anyone who doesn't worship you. ·Be pleased with your achievements, however small. ·The best solution to a problem is a nap.Live better—live like your cat!

The Other End of the Leash

The Other End of the Leash PDF Author: Patricia McConnell, Ph.D.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0307489183
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
Learn to communicate with your dog—using their language “Good reading for dog lovers and an immensely useful manual for dog owners.”—The Washington Post An Applied Animal Behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years’ experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell reveals a revolutionary new perspective on our relationship with dogs—sharing insights on how “man’s best friend” might interpret our behavior, as well as essential advice on how to interact with our four-legged friends in ways that bring out the best in them. After all, humans and dogs are two entirely different species, each shaped by its individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (as are wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation. This marvelous guide demonstrates how even the slightest changes in our voices and in the ways we stand can help dogs understand what we want. Inside you will discover: • How you can get your dog to come when called by acting less like a primate and more like a dog • Why the advice to “get dominance” over your dog can cause problems • Why “rough and tumble primate play” can lead to trouble—and how to play with your dog in ways that are fun and keep him out of mischief • How dogs and humans share personality types—and why most dogs want to live with benevolent leaders rather than “alpha wanna-bes!” Fascinating, insightful, and compelling, The Other End of the Leash is a book that strives to help you connect with your dog in a completely new way—so as to enrich that most rewarding of relationships.

Christopher Cricket on Cats

Christopher Cricket on Cats PDF Author: Anthony Henderson Euwer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cats
Languages : en
Pages : 54

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Book Description


Meow

Meow PDF Author: Jane Yolen
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060291613
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 49

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Book Description
A collection of folktales about cats.

The Way of Cats

The Way of Cats PDF Author: Pamela Merritt
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780998035703
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The Way of Cats is a way of playing games with our cat. These communication, training, and affection games are fun and easy to learn. Then we have well-behaved and happy cats.