Calculating Torque in Rotational Motion

Understanding Torque in Rotational Motion

Suppose you are changing a car tire and loosening a lug nut. You weigh 800N and stand on the end of a 2 m long wrench. How much torque do you exert on the lug nut?

The torque exerted by the person on the lug nut is 1600 N-m, if the person's weight is 800 N, and the length of the wrench is 2 meters. Torque in rotational motion is equivalent to the force in linear motion. Just as force causes a push or pull in linear motion, torque causes a twist in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction, resulting in a change in the rotational motion of a body. The SI unit of torque is N-m.

The formula for calculating torque is: Torque = Force × lever arm × sinθ

Where θ is the angle between the force and the lever arm.

Therefore, Torque = 800 N × 2 m = 1600 N-m

Hence, option b. 1600 N-m is correct.

Suppose you are changing a car tire and loosening a lug nut. You weigh 800N and stand on the end of a 2 m long wrench. How much torque do you exert on the lug nut?

a. 1600 J

b. 1600 N-m

c. 800 N-m

d. 2 N-m

The torque exerted by the person on the lug nut is 1600 N-m, if the person's weight is 800 N, and the length of the wrench is 2 meters. Torque in rotational motion is equivalent to the force in linear motion. Just as force causes a push or pull in linear motion, torque causes a twist in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction, resulting in a change in the rotational motion of a body. The SI unit of torque is N-m.