3 ms·
> The problem with that theory is that while a cat is falling it is in zero G. Ah, yes, I see your point. Air resistance would eventually kick in and provide p
by pdonis 5y ago
> The problem with that theory is that while a cat is falling it is in zero G.
Ah, yes, I see your point. Air resistance would eventually kick in and provide positive G, but not in a short enough fall. And cats are heavy enough that "a short enough fall" probably includes most falls in which they are observed to land on their feet.
- sandworm101 5y agoA cat's whiskers can detect very minute air movements. Even without whiskers, a human face can feel slight puffs of air at tiny speeds, speeds that falling objects hit within inches. Wind alone should give the cat enough directional information within milliseconds. Whether it can adjust its body position in time is a different issue. It certainly knows in which direction it is falling practically instantly. Cats also have memory. They remember in which direction gravity was pulling them before the fall. Absent every other sensation that memory should be enough to get the process going even absent new sensations.
- can16358p 5y agoAbout the memory part, it can be interesting to see in a perfectly black spherical chamber to first lose sensation of any direction, then to try the experiment to rule out the possible effect of memory. Yet, I hope no one tries this as it might perhaps be traumatic to cats.