• jrwperformance
    link
    60
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    I have one of those giant hamster wheels for our cat. If you use the laser pointer and get her to chase it on the cat-wheel, when she tries to stop when at full speed, she goes all the way around and the wheel spits her out. Funny as hell. Then she goes back for more. Cat loves the wheel.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    331 year ago

    The cat is moving in a circle, so it has a centripetal acceleration and a centripetal force. At the apex of the loop, that force is the sum of gravity, and resistance from the track. The track force is greater than or equal to zero, so acceleration due to gravity is less than or equal to the total centripetal acceleration.

    g ≤ v²/r
    So,
    r ≤ v²/g

    Taking top speed of a cat as 8.278m/s (from Wolfram Alpha), and g on earth as 9.81m/s², this gives us r ≤ 6.99m. So long as the cat can maintain its top speed all around the loop, it can successfully do a loop of up to 14 meters diameter. This is a lot bigger than I expected, to the extent that I suspect some flaw in my reasoning.

    • Solivine
      link
      fedilink
      201 year ago

      The cat won’t be able to maintain its top speed because of deceleration from lack of friction

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        81 year ago

        Good point. It has zero contact force at the apex, so 14m is an upper bound on possible cat-loops.

      • ℛ𝒶𝓋ℯ𝓃
        link
        fedilink
        41 year ago

        True. But if top speed allows for 14 meters, surely a 1.5 to 2 m loop should be possible (especially given a cat’s incredible reflexes and control given a lack of friction or even freefall). I’d guess that a cat, given enough motivation, could keep running under the little friction provided by the centripetal force for a few hundred milliseconds - likely long enough to complete a 1m loop, maybe even 2, given sufficient space for a top-speed run before entering…

  • nevial
    link
    fedilink
    331 year ago

    Jpeg compression so bad I read that as “fake mouse on rat”

  • @TootSweet
    link
    English
    91 year ago

    I dunno. Build one and try it with your cat and let us know the results.

  • @Mechanite
    link
    61 year ago

    Cat kinda lookin like Pikachu

  • Mossy Feathers (She/They)
    link
    fedilink
    51 year ago

    Yes. I don’t even own a cat but from outside observation, I’m pretty sure cats can just ignore the laws of physics when they want to.

  • @markstos
    link
    41 year ago

    If the cat was chasing Tony Hawk instead of a mouse, yes.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    41 year ago

    If I’m dangling her Bug-Onna-Leash and my adolescent cat comes running, and I lift up the bug, she’ll sometimes do a loopdeloop leap without any track at all, either swatting the bug or grabbing him in her teeth and running off with him. This would be a cakewalk for her.

    There are cats who can’t jump or run fast or climb, we love them anyway. But to test your theory you need to get the cat to WANT to do it. “What’s in it for me?” is their guiding principle.

    So it’s all going to depend on motivation; the mouse needs to be just bite sized, catnippy, and have a little bell or rattle sewn inside it. You should pull it in an enticingly twitchy way. Treats may also be needed.

  • @JeeBaiChow
    link
    31 year ago

    Build it, record it, post it, and win all of the internet points!