![]() ![]() Thus, conservation of angular momentum is preserved. If you look closely, you can see that a cat’s upper and lower body rotate in opposite directions. ![]() It is not simply a cylindrical object that magically begins to spin. As it turned out, the cat’s body had not been considered carefully enough. But it wasn’t until 1969 that the “falling cat problem” was solved. He conducted several experiments in which he dropped cats from various heights (including from open windows) and onto beds and tables. This phenomenon occupied many scientists, including physicist James Clerk Maxwell, known for his work on electromagnetism. Credit: The Picture Art Collection/Alamy Stock Photo How is that possible? Falling cats have puzzled physicists for decades. Then it manages to rotate on its own axis. Yet that is exactly what the photographs show. That’s because according to the conservation of angular momentum, it is impossible for an object that is not spinning to suddenly rotate without external influence. But it had been assumed that they obtain the momentum necessary for this movement by pushing off from the surface from which they fall. Of course, people knew from everyday observations that these quadrupeds can turn in the air. ![]() But in the next shots, something happens that seems to defy the laws of physics: the cat turns and lands on its paws. At first, the feline floats upside down in the air with its back facing the ground. Images from that time show a person holding a cat by its legs so that its back is facing the ground. Instead experts were stumped by photographs of cats spinning on their own axis while falling and then landing on their feet. For decades, researchers from a wide range of disciplines have been trying to understand their amazing survival skills.īut it was not the animals’ falls from dizzying heights that first puzzled physicists in the late 19th century. It’s likely that other similar situations have given rise to the adage that cats have nine lives. After a two-day stay at the vet, who treated a collapsed lung and broken teeth, the four-legged friend was able to return home. In New York City in 2018, a cat reportedly fell from the window of a 32nd-floor apartment onto hard asphalt-and survived. ![]()
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