Please provide a rating, it takes seconds and helps us to keep this resource free for all to use
In addition to the revision notes for Torque on this page, you can also access the following Centre of Mass and Linear Momentum learning resources for Torque
| Tutorial ID | Title | Tutorial | Video Tutorial | Revision Notes | Revision Questions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | Torque |
In these revision notes for Torque, we cover the following key points:
By definition, "Torque is a non-zero resultant moment of force usually produced by a single force or a couple of forces that help each other when trying to rotate a system around a fixed point."
Torque can be either produced by a single force of by a couple of forces as long as they are able to create rotation in the system. The meaning of torque is very close to that of moment of force. The most important difference between these two concepts lies in the fact that torque is a movement effect whereas moment of force is a static effect. This means torque is used where there is rotation involved whereas moment of force is used where there is no rotation (when there is equilibrium).
Examples of torque involving a couple of forces include:
Other examples of torque but which involve the use of a single force include:
Both Moment of Force and Torque have the same unit i.e. N-m but The equation of torque for a single force applied is:
where r⃗ is the distance from the turning point (usually the radius of a circle), and F⃗⊥ is the perpendicular force to the bar (line of action) or the tangent force used at that specific point of the circle.
The scalar equivalent of the above equation is
where θ is the angle between the axis of rotation and the force applied.
As for the torque of a couple, we obtain the following equation:
When the couple of forces is used to rotate a kind of wheel (such as a steering wheel), we have r1 = r2 = r
As for the signs of the directions of rotation, anticlockwise is taken as positive [clockwise is negative].
Enjoy the "Torque" revision notes? People who liked the "Torque" revision notes found the following resources useful:
Please provide a rating, it takes seconds and helps us to keep this resource free for all to use
We hope you found this Physics tutorial "Torque" useful. If you did it would be great if you could spare the time to rate this physics tutorial (simply click on the number of stars that match your assessment of this physics learning aide) and/or share on social media, this helps us identify popular tutorials and calculators and expand our free learning resources to support our users around the world have free access to expand their knowledge of physics and other disciplines.