Final answer:
When a physics student pulls back on the right handlebar of a motorcycle at highway speed, the motorcycle tips to the left and produces a left turn. This is due to gyroscopic precession, which causes the front wheel to precess to the right and push the motorcycle to the left.
Step-by-step explanation:
Physics: Why Pulling Back on the Right Handlebar Tips a Motorcycle to the Left and Produces a Left Turn
When a physics student is driving a motorcycle at highway speed and pulls back lightly on the right handlebar, the motorcycle tips to the left and produces a left turn.
This happens because of a phenomenon known as gyroscopic precession.
Gyroscopic precession is the result of the rotational motion of the motorcycle's front wheel. When the rider pulls back on the right handlebar, it causes a torque or twisting force on the front wheel.
This torque induces a change in the angular momentum of the wheel, causing it to precess or tilt in a direction perpendicular to the applied force.
Since the front wheel precesses to the right, it creates a force that pushes the motorcycle to the left, resulting in a left turn. This is similar to how a spinning top, when tilted in one direction, gradually changes its orientation in a different direction.