If two forces of equal magnitude are applied at opposite ends of a lever arm, what is the net torque about the center?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
If two forces of equal magnitude are applied at opposite ends of a lever arm, what is the net torque about the center?
Zero
Equal to the force
Twice the force
Depends on the distance
The net torque is zero because the torques produced by the two forces cancel each other out.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: If two forces of equal magnitude are applied at opposite ends of a lever arm, what is the net torque about the center?
Solution: The net torque is zero because the torques produced by the two forces cancel each other out.
Steps: 7
Step 1: Understand what torque is. Torque is a measure of how much a force acting on an object causes that object to rotate.
Step 2: Identify the lever arm. The lever arm is the distance from the pivot point (center) to where the force is applied.
Step 3: Recognize that there are two forces of equal strength applied at opposite ends of the lever arm.
Step 4: Determine the direction of each force. One force will cause a clockwise rotation, and the other will cause a counterclockwise rotation.
Step 5: Calculate the torque produced by each force. Since the forces are equal and applied at equal distances from the center, the torque from each force is the same.
Step 6: Add the torques together. One torque is positive (clockwise) and the other is negative (counterclockwise). They cancel each other out.
Step 7: Conclude that the net torque about the center is zero because the two torques balance each other.
