Cat Turning Phenomenon

Well done to Elleanore for demonstrating how physics powers her fascination of cats. Take a look at her entry below:

As a cat owner of an 18-year-old cat named Jinksy, I have spent my entire life observing cat behaviour. This has led me to be awestruck at the agility and grace of cats, with their sense of balance and elasticity being out of this world. Cats are the source of the saying “cats always land on their feet”. Through these observations, I have become fascinated with the phenomenon of cats (almost) always landing on their four paws, so I KNEW I had to investigate the physics behind it.

Rather than experimenting on my cat, I illustrated each step in which cats utilise physics to minimise their damage if falling from a height.

I hope my submission contributes to changing image of physics being associated only with school, and that it will encourage people to be curious about the physics behind our everyday lives and our passions as physics is part of our daily lives, or perhaps I should say that our, and our pets’ lives are run by physics.

Physics powers my passion by giving me a platform to analyse the enthralling movements of cats, in order to gain a greater appreciation and understanding of this magnificent species.