Final answer:
When a physics student pulls back on the right handlebar of a motorcycle, gyroscopic precession causes the motorcycle to tip and turn to the left.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a physics student observes while driving a motorcycle at highway speed that pulling back lightly on the right handlebar causes the motorcycle to tip to the left and initiate a left turn, this phenomenon is related to the principles of gyroscopic precession. The wheels of the motorcycle act like gyroscopes; as the wheel spins rapidly, it creates a gyroscope effect. According to the laws of physics, specifically gyroscopic precession, when a torque is applied to a spinning object, it will not change direction in the area the force was applied, but in a different plane that is 90 degrees from where the force was applied. So, when the right handlebar is pulled back, the force is exerted in a way that the motorcycle tips and turns to the left.