Author:
Gbur, Greg, author.
ImprintNew Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2019]
Imprint2019
Descriptionxiv, 337 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Note:Famous physicists' fascination with falling felines -- The (solved?) puzzle of the falling cat -- Horses in motion -- Cats on film -- Going round and round -- Cats rock the world -- The cat-righting reflex -- Cats...in...space! -- Cats as keepers of mysteries -- Rise of the robotic cats -- The challenges of cat-turning -- Falling felines and fundamental physics -- Scientists and their cats.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references (pages 303-318) and index.
Note: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.
