AP Physics 1 : Torque

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Physics 1

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #151 : Circular, Rotational, And Harmonic Motion

 of force is applied perpendicular to a  wrench. Calculate the torque generated.

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Converting  to  and plugging in values

Example Question #152 : Circular, Rotational, And Harmonic Motion

Marc, Paul, and David all apply forces to a pendulum consisting of a rigid rod. Marc applies a force  a distance  from the pivot. If David applies a force of  a distance  from the pivot in the same direction as Marc, how much force must Paul apply in the opposite direction a distance of  from the pivot if he is to make the sum of the torques about the pivot equal zero? Assume all three apply forces perpendicular to the rod.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

First, we must recall the formula for torque, which is 

 is the distance from the pivot, called the moment arm.  is the force, and  is the angle relative to the normal of the object.) Since all the forces are being applied perpendicular to the surface of the rod, . Thus,

The sum of the torques must equal zero, so David's torque plus Marc's torque must be the same as Paul's torque because David and Marc are applying torques in the opposite direction as Paul. This gives us 

 Dividing both sides by , we get Paul's force  to be 

Example Question #153 : Circular, Rotational, And Harmonic Motion

Q4

A symmetrical rectangle (, ) has four forces, all of the same magnitude, pulling at each corner as shown in the picture. Which of the following statements is true?

Possible Answers:

Neither net force nor net torque is zero

Both net torque and net force is zero

Net force is not zero, but the net torque is zero

Net torque is not zero, but the net force is zero

Correct answer:

Net torque is not zero, but the net force is zero

Explanation:

First let's go on and define each of these terms...

Force: influence exerted 

Torque: a way for us to measure of the effectiveness of a force which consists of a force and its perpendicular distance from the line of action amongst the axis of rotation

Each reference in which you find these definition may vary, but they should all have a common gist. Force is some type of implication on an object that can cause that object's mobility. Torque, however, is the capability of a specific force to create rotation. Therefore, torque is not a force, it's a characteristic of a force.

The forces shown in the diagram each have a reciprocal. In other words,  is countered by, as is countered by . They each are equal, pulling in an opposite direction. With that said, the net force is zero. How? Well if we had a magazine (rectangle) and you and three of your friends each pulled on a corner as shown in the picture, the magazine wouldn't move. If you and a friend pulled on the same corners as and ,the magazine still wouldn't move (same goes for and ).

However, torques are slightly different. Torque is not (+) or (-), it is measured as clockwise or counter clockwise. So, looking at our diagram, all of the forces are in the same direction around the central pivot point (black circle). If three out of four of the forces shown were taken away, any of the remaining would cause the rectangle to rotate in the same manner (counter clockwise) around the pivot point. Therefore the net torque, or the total of the torques are all in the same direction and will NOT have a net value of zero, but rather a grand total of each force's torque separately.

Example Question #156 : Circular, Rotational, And Harmonic Motion

8

Michael just created a large square pinwheel. He attaches his pinwheel to a pivot screw in the middle of the square (side = ) allowing it to spin in the wind. However, when he brings it outside, the pinwheel doesn't move. Frustrated, Michael gives the bottom corner a flick (). What is the torque of the force provided?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

It is important to remember that torque is not a force, it's a characteristic of a force.

F is the force applied, r is the distance from the force's contact point and the object's center of mass,  is the angle between  and .

8

The trick to this problem is in two steps:

1) Find the  using the Pythagorean theorem. 

2) What's our ? Well we know that every square has 4  angles. If we drew a line from the corner of the square to the very middle (pivot point) of the pinwheel, we've just cut one of those angles in half!  

 Pytahg

Solving:

Knowing our trig functions we can plug in for 

Example Question #161 : Circular, Rotational, And Harmonic Motion

Question 3

Deanna and Rishi are playing on a seesaw ( long). Deanna () is  to the right from the center of the seesaw (called a fulcrum) and Rishi () is on the left (see diagram). They want to try and see if they can balance horizontally (without teetering up or down). If Deanna doesn't want to move from her seat, where should Rishi move to, with respect to the fulcrum, in order to find this balance?

Possible Answers:

 from the fulcrum

 from the fulcrum

 from the fulcrum

 from the fulcrum

Correct answer:

 from the fulcrum

Explanation:

This question deals with torques: 

It's important to note that torques are not (+) or (-), they are a direction, usually denoted as clockwise (CW) or counter clockwise (CCW). If you drew a FBD for each Deanna and Rishi, and included the pivot point, we'd see that each is in an opposite direction. That means that these torques oppose each other. If we want the seesaw to remain still, we must have the same torque on either side, this will result in a ZERO net torque. With that said, let's set this up!

The  on either side can cancel eachother out. Now let's solve for the distance Rishi is from the fulcrum ()

Example Question #161 : Circular, Rotational, And Harmonic Motion

Wrench

Susie is trying to tighten a bolt () using a wrench (, ) as shown. Susie applies a force, , of . What is the net torque of the system? Note: the green "X" on the figure refers to the wrench's center of mass. 

Possible Answers:

 clockwise

 counter clockwise

 clockwise

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Remember that the equation for torque is:

where  is the force applied,  is the distance from the force's contact point to the object's (wrench's) COM and  is the angle between  and 

We are provided with a whole bunch of numbers in the equation, however the explanation is much simpler than that. Looking at the direction of the force in reference to the COM,  is zero.

Knowing our trig functions, we know that  (regardless if we use radians or degrees).

The answer is 

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors