The Galli Cat
Brief Description
The Galli Cat, also known as “The Mechanical Cat” and “Drop the Cat”, is a demonstration to explain how cats rotate mid-air without breaking conservation of angular momentum. If a cat is falling with its feet facing upwards, its unique spine allows it to turn in such a way that the net angular momentum is always zero. The Galli Cat is a very simplified version of a cat’s spine, but will also flip over when dropped with its feet in the air. See the bottom of the page for a great video by the inventor of the demonstration, Dr. Ron Galli, on how it works.
Materials
One Galli (Mechanical) Cat
Setting Up and Performing the Demo
To perform this demo, hold the cat upside down and slightly arch the spine of the cat towards the ground. When ready, quickly release the cat and allow it to flip over. The cat is old, so it can be tricky to get it right. Optionally, you might want a towel or something soft for the cat to land on. This will prevent it from bouncing around too much and from being too loud.
Other Notes
To listen to Dr. Ron Galli explain how it works, check out Galli Cat Movie. For a slow motion video of a Galli Cat drop, see the video below.