Final answer:
If the meter stick is not strictly horizontal, it will rotate due to torque as gravity acts at a distance from the pivot point, creating a rotational force.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the meter stick is not strictly horizontal, c) It will rotate due to torque. Torque is a force that causes an object to rotate about an axis, and in this scenario, if the meter stick is not perfectly horizontal, gravity will apply a force at a distance from the pivot point, creating torque. This will cause the meter stick to rotate until it possibly reaches equilibrium or is no longer supported and falls.
Regarding the reference information provided:
-
- The object's motion can be opposed by frictional force or gravitational force but doesn't directly relate to the meter stick scenario.
-
- Differing throw angles affect the distance traveled by balls, which illustrates that not all forces and motions are identical.
-
- A spinning gyroscope precesses due to torque, which is similar to the torque acting on the non-horizontal meter stick.
-
- Newton's law of universal gravitation doesn't directly apply to the scenario of the question but is a fundamental law in physics that also deals with forces and motion.