Viewing the cat as a point particle

Cats are admired by all types of people, including physicists. Some express their admiration for their feline companions through artwork or photography, capturing images of a curious, bird-watching cat or an affectionate kitten in its owner’s arms. In Anxo Biasi’s case, he had done so with physics.

For Anxo, what started as a playful idea transformed into a model of key concepts from classical mechanics inspired by his cat. Upon her arrival, he had noticed several characteristic behaviors that could be explained with introductory physics equations, which provided an excellent teaching opportunity.

“The paper is intended for use in introductory classical mechanics courses,” said Anxo. “It offers a collection of dynamics that are easy to visualize, reducing the need for abstraction, and presents an equation with different terms, covering the fundamentals of classical mechanics.”

By viewing the cat as a point particle interacting with a human — the source of a potential — Anxo explains several cat-human scenarios with physics, including resting, purring, and “zoomies,” or frenetic random activity periods. He even considers the attachment of the cat to the human, which adds another layer of realism to the model.

With this familiar example, students can more easily understand how to construct a physics model.

“This work demonstrates that anyone with a basic understanding of physics can use it to tell an interesting story,” said Anxo. “We don’t always need to address the deepest and most challenging mysteries of the universe; sometimes, we can simply relax and use the beauty and power of physics to explain everyday life.”

Source: “On cat-human interaction from the viewpoint of physics: An equation of motion,” by Anxo Biasi, American Journal of Physics (2024). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0158200 .