- #1
HoodedFreak
- 30
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Homework Statement
Imagine a uniform, symmetric rod, free to rotate around an axis going into the computer screen through the center of the rod. Now say that we start off the rod so that it is not horizontal or vertical, but somewhere in between. My intuition tells me that the rod will start to fall and rotate, but why does this happen? Isn't it true that by symmetry, if there is torque exerted by a particle of the rod on one side due to the force of gravity, an equal and opposite torque would be exerted by the particle the same distance on the other side of the rod, so the rod should stay stationary. But I know this isn't the case, so where am I going wrong here?
Homework Equations
T = r*l
where r is distance and l is the lever arm
The Attempt at a Solution
I've attached a diagram of the situation as I see it.