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Cats' Paws and Catapults

By Steven Vogel

Product Image: Cats' Paws and Catapults

Cats' Paws and Catapults

Only 1 item left in stock
Description
Nature and humans build their devices with the same earthly materials and use them in the same air and water, pulled by the same gravity. Why, then, do their designs diverge so sharply? Humans, for instance, love right angles, while nature's angles are rarely right and usually rounded. Our technology goes around on wheels-and on rotating pulleys, gears, shafts, and cams-yet in nature only the tiny propellers of bacteria spin as true wheels. Our hinges turn because hard parts slide around each other, whereas nature's hinges (a rabbit's ear, for example) more often swing by bending flexible materials. In this marvelously surprising, witty book, Steven Vogel compares these two mechanical worlds, introduces the reader to his field of biomechanics, and explains how the nexus of physical law, size, and convenience of construction determine the designs of both people and nature. "This elegant comparison of human and biological technology will forever change the way you look at each."-Michael LaBarbera, American Scientist
Product details
Binding:
Paperback
Edition:
illustrated
Number of Pages:
384
Release Date:
2000-01-17
Publication Date:
1998-01-01
Publisher:
W. W. Norton & Company
Languages:
Original: English
ISBN10:
0393319903
ISBN13:
9780393319903
GPSR Manufacturer Reference:
[email protected]
Weight:
540 g
Height:
140 cm
Width:
216 cm
Thickness:
23 cm

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Good
The items bear minimal signs of past use, such as light scratches or memories in the form of markings. These signs of wear give the items a charming character and tell stories of their previous owners, while not affecting their functionality.
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