Torque at an angle
A 20 N force is applied to the end of a 0.5 m wrench at 30° to the wrench handle. What torque does it produce?
Answer A: explanation for every choice
A
Correct. τ = rF sin θ = (0.5)(20)(sin 30°) = 5 N·m.
B
This uses cos 30° instead of sin 30°.
C
This ignores the angle, as if the force were perpendicular to the handle.
D
This divides the force by the length instead of multiplying.
Takeawayτ = rF sin θ, where θ is the angle between r and F.
Equation usedTorque
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