Abstract: Cats, and many other small mammals, have the ability to flip themselves 180 degrees while falling in midair. This peculiar motion, which seemingly contradicts conservation of angular momentum, has stumped physicists since the 19th century. It wasn't until 1969 that an explicit equation which parameterizes the motion was formulated. More recent work on geometric mechanics has uncovered interesting properties of the motion which deserves to be explained. This talk will largely built upon the rotational kinematic content taught in PHY354/MAT461. Math specialists who are interested in Riemannian Geometry (or cats) are warmly welcomed to attend.
Undergraduate Colloquium: The Falling Cat Problem