Force

Exercise 1-A

1. State the condition when on applying a force, the body has:

a) the translational motion, b) the rotational motion.

Ans.

a) When the body is free to move

b) When the body is pivoted at a point.
2. Define moment of force and state its S.I. unit.
Ans.
The moment of force (or torque) is equal to the product of the magnitude of the force and the
perpendicular distance of the line of action of force from the axis of rotation.
The S.I. unit of force is newton and that of distance is metre, so the S.I. unit of moment of force
is m=newton x metre. This is abbreviated as N m.
3. State whether the moment of force is a scalar or vector quantity.
Ans.
The moment of force is a vector quantity.
4. State two factors affecting the turning effect of force.
Ans.
The turning effect of a body by a force depends on the following two factors:
a) The magnitude of the force applied, and
b) The distance of line of action of the force from the axis of rotation (or pivoted point).
5. Why does a body rotate? State any one way to change the direction of rotation of the body.
Give a suitable example to explain your answer.
Ans.
A body rotates when there is a net torque acting on it. To change the direction of rotation of a
rotating body with fixed axis, we will have to provide a retarding torque which will ultimately
stop the rotation and will start it in the opposite direction. As a result, the direction of rotation
of the body will change. But if the axis is not fixed then the direction of rotation may be reversed
simply by reversing the axis of rotation.
6. Write the expression for the moment of force about a given axis.
Ans.
The tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis is called moment of force.
Moment of force also called the vector product of force and the distance between the object
and the axis of rotation (called displacement vector).

An important part of determining bending moments in practical problems is the computation of

moments of force. Let F be a force vector acting at a point A in a body. The moment of this force
about a reference point (O) is defined as M=r x F where M is the moment vector and r is the
position vector from the reference point (O) to the point of application of the force (A).
The x symbol indicates the vector cross product. For many problems, it is more convenient to
compute the moment of force about an axis that passes through the reference point O. If the
 unit vector along the axis is e, the moment of force about the axis is defined as M=e. M=e. (r x
F). where . indicates the vector dot product.
7. State one way to reduce the moment of a given force about a given axis of rotation.
Ans.
One simple way to reduce the moment of force (or torque) would be to decrease the radial
distance of the action of the force from the rotation axis. It stems from the fact that torque is
given as T= r x F where r is the radial distance and F is the external force.
8. State one way to obtain a greater moment of force about a given axis of rotation.
Ans.
One way to reduce the moment of force about a given axis of rotation is the force applied at the
maximum distance from the axis and by increasing the magnitude of the force.
9. What do you understand by the clockwise and anticlockwise moment of force? When is it taken
positive?
Ans.
Conventionally, if the effect of the body is to turn it anticlockwise, moment of force is called the
anticlockwise moment and it is taken positive, while if the effect on the body is to turn it
clockwise, the moment of force is called the clockwise moment and it is taken negative.
10. Why is it easier to open a door by applying the force at the free end of it?
Ans.
To open or shut the door, we apply a force (push or pull) normal to the door at its handle which
is provided at the maximum distance from the hinges. We can notice that if we apply the force
at a point (near the hinge), much greater force is required to open the door and if the force is
applied at the hinge, we will not be able to open the door howsoever large the force maybe
(because of the force, torque will be zero). Thus, the handle is provided near the free end of the
door so that a smaller force at a larger perpendicular distance produces the moment of force
required to open or shut the door.
11. The stone of a hand flour grinder is provided with a handle near its rim. Give reason.
Ans.
The stone of hand flour grinder is provided with a handle near its rim (i.e., at maximum distance
from center) so that it can easily be rotated about the iron pivot at its center by applying a small
force at the handle.
12. It is easier to turn the steering wheel of a large diameter than that of a small diameter. Give
reason.
Ans.
The turning effect produced is large when the torque is large. For large diameter steering the
distance (r) between the point where the force (F) is applied and the axis of rotation of the
steering is large. Since, Torque, T= r × F. So, the torque is larger for large diameter steering.
Hence, it is easier to turn the steering wheel of large diameter than the steering wheel of small
diameter with the same applied force.
13. A spanner (or wrench) has a long handle. Why?
Ans.
A spanner used to tighten or loosen a nut, has a long handle to produce a large moment of force
by a small force applied normally at the end of its handle. The spanner is turned anticlockwise to
loosen the nut by applying the force in the right-left direction, while it is turned clockwise to
 tighten the nut by applying the force in a left-right direction. To do this easily (without applying
much pressure) it’s provided with a long handle.
14.