Why Cats Land on Their Feet: And 76 Other Physical Paradoxes and Puzzles - Paperback

by Mark Levi (Author)

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.

Back Jacket

"Why Cats Land on Their Feet is a collection of fun physical puzzles that will be attractive to a wide spectrum of readers, from teachers to those looking simply for good reading and educational entertainment. Levi's sense of humor and friendly, informal style add to the pleasure of the book. Each of these puzzles, without exception, kept my attention."--Paul J. Nahin, author of Number-Crunching: Taming Unruly Computational Problems from Mathematical Physics to Science Fiction

"Why Cats Land on Their Feet offers a trove of interesting and varied physical phenomena. Each one is clearly explained and easily understood, but many require an insightful observation for their resolution. There were any number of occasions when I fell into the trap of false assumption and was surprised by the correct reasoning, which always seemed so obvious in retrospect! A most enjoyable read."--Julian Havil, author of Impossible?: Surprising Solutions to Counterintuitive Conundrums

Author Biography

Mark Levi is professor of mathematics at Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of The Mathematical Mechanic: Using Physical Reasoning to Solve Problems.