Description
Book SynopsisThe Natural Law of Cycles assembles scientific work from different disciplines to show how research on angular momentum and rotational symmetry can be used to develop a law of energy cycles as a local and global influence. Angular momentum regulates small-scale rotational cycles such as the swimming of fish in water, the running of animals on land, and the flight of birds in air. Also, it regulates large-scale rotation cycles such as global currents of wind and water.
James H. Bunn introduces concepts of symmetry, balance, and angular momentum, showing how together they shape the mobile symmetries of animals. Chapter 1 studies the configurations of animals as they move in a head-first direction. Chapter 2 shows how sea animals follow currents and tides generated by the rotational cycles of the earth. In chapter 3, Bunn explores the biomechanical pace of walking as a partial cycle of rotating limbs. On a large scale, angular momentum governs balanced shifts in plate te
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Symmetry, Balance, Angular Momentum
1 From Heads to Tails—The Asymmetry of Aim in Animals
2 Living Shapes in Water
3 The Land Fulcrum—Walking the Land while Thinking Contours
4 The Winged Alliance in Air
5 The Energy Cycles of Sunlight and Heat
Conclusion: Einstein's Parable about Nuclear Technology
Bibliography
Illustration Credits
Index
