10.

3 Torque
Forces cause accelerations; torques cause angular accelerations. There
is a definite relationship, however, between the two concepts. Figure
8.1 depicts an overhead view of a door hinged at point O. From this
viewpoint, the door is free to rotate around an axis perpendicular to
the page and passing through O. If a force 𝑭 is applied to the door,
there are three factors that determine the effectiveness of the force in
opening the door: 1. the magnitude of the force,
2.the position of application of the force,
3. the angle at which it is applied.
Let 𝑭 be a force acting on an object, and let 𝒓 be a position vector from a
chosen point O to the point of application of the force, with 𝑭 perpendicular to
𝒓 . The magnitude of the torque 𝝉 exerted by the force 𝑭 is given by
𝜏 = 𝑟𝐹
where r is the length of the position vector and F is the magnitude of the force.
SI unit: Newton-meter (Nm) The point O is usually chosen to coincide with
the axis the object is rotating around.
Torque
Two disgruntled businesspeople are trying to use a revolving door, which is initially at rest (see
Fig. 8.3.) The woman on the left exerts a force of 625 N perpendicular to the door and 1.20 m
from the hub’s center, while the man on the right exerts a force of 8.5 x 102 N perpendicular to the
door and 0.8 m from the hub’s center. Find the net torque on the revolving door.
 Torque
Let 𝑭 be a force acting on an object, and let 𝒓 be a position
vector from a chosen point O to the point of application of
the force. The magnitude of the torque 𝝉 exerted by the
force 𝑭 Is
𝜏 = 𝑟𝐹𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃

where r is the length of the position vector, F the

magnitude of the force, and θ the angle between 𝒓 and 𝑭.
SI unit: Newton-meter (Nm)
Torque
A man applies a force of 3 x 102 N at an angle of 60 ° to the door of Figure 8.7a, 2 m from well-
oiled hinges. Find the torque on the door, choosing the position of the hinges as the axis of
rotation.
Torque and the two Conditions for equilibrium
An object in mechanical equilibrium (Fig. 8.14) must satisfy the
following two conditions:
1. The net external force must be zero: σ 𝑭 = 0
2. The net external torque must be zero: σ 𝝉 = 0
The first condition is a statement of translational equilibrium: The sum of
all forces acting on the object must be zero, so the object has no
translational acceleration, 𝒂 = 0.
The second condition is a statement of rotational equilibrium: The sum of
all torques on the object must be zero, so the object has no angular
acceleration, 𝒂 = 0. For an object to be in equilibrium, it must move
through space at a constant speed and rotate at a constant angular speed.
Because we can choose any location for calculating torques, it’s usually
best to select an axis that will make at least one torque equal to zero, just
to simplify the net torque equation.
 Torque and the two Conditions for equilibrium
The following general procedure is recommended for solving problems that involve objects in
equilibrium.

1. Diagram the system. Include coordinates and choose a convenient rotation axis for computing
the net torque on the object.
2. Draw a force diagram of the object of interest, showing all external forces acting on it. For
systems with more than one object, draw a separate diagram for each object. (Most problems will
have a single object of interest.)
3. Apply σ 𝝉 = 0, the second condition of equilibrium. This condition yields a single equation
for each object of interest. If the axis of rotation has been carefully chosen, the equation often has
only one unknown and can be solved immediately.
4. Apply σ 𝑭𝒙 = 0 and σ 𝑭𝒚 = 0, the first condition of equilibrium. This yields two more
equations per object of interest.
5. Solve the system of equations. For each object, the two conditions of equilibrium yield three
equations, usually with three unknowns. Solve by substitution.
A 50 N bowling ball is held in a person’s hand with the forearm horizontal, as in Figure 8.16a.
The biceps muscle is attached 0.03 m from the joint, and the ball is 0.35 m from the joint. Find
the upward force 𝑭 exerted by the biceps on the forearm (the ulna) and the downward force 𝑹
exerted by the humerus on the forearm, acting at the joint. Neglect the weight of the forearm and
slight deviation from the vertical of the biceps.
The forces acting on the forearm are equivalent to those acting on a bar of length 0.350 m, as shown in Figure 8.16b.
Choose the usual x- and y-coordinates as shown and the axis at O on the left end. (This completes Steps 1 and 2.) Use
the conditions of equilibrium to generate equations for the unknowns and solve.
A woman of mass 55 kg sits on the left end of a seesaw - a plank of length 4 m, pivoted in the
middle as in Figure 8.15. (a) First compute the torques on the seesaw about an axis that passes
through the pivot point. Where should a man of mass 75 kg sit if the system (seesaw plus man and
woman) is to be balanced? (b) Find the normal force exerted by the pivot if the plank has a mass
of 12 kg.
(a)
(a) Where should the man sit to balance the seesaw?
Apply the second condition of equilibrium to the plank by setting the
sum of the torques equal to zero:
𝜏𝑝𝑖𝑣𝑜𝑡 + 𝜏𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘 + 𝜏𝑚𝑎𝑛 + 𝜏𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛 = 0
The first two torques are zero. Let x represent the man’s distance from
the pivot. The woman is at a distance , l = L/2 from the pivot
(b) Find the normal force n exerted by the pivot on the seesaw.
Apply for first condition of equilibrium to the plank, solving
the resulting equation for the unknown normal force, n:
Newton’s Second Law for Rotation
For translational motion, Newton’s second law connects the force acting on a
particle with the resulting acceleration. There is a similar relationship
between the torque of a force applied on a rigid object and the resulting
angular acceleration.
This equation is known as Newton’s second law of rotation. We will explore
this law by studying a simple body that consists of a point mass m at the end
of a massless rod of length r. A force 𝑭 is applied on the particle and rotates
the system about an axis at the origin. We resolve 𝑭 into a tangential and a
radial component. The tangential component is responsible for the rotation.
We first apply Newton’s second law for Ft 𝐹𝑡 = 𝑚𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑞. 1
The torque τ acting on the particle is 𝜏 = 𝐹𝑡 𝑟 𝑒𝑞. 2 .
We eliminate Ft between equations 1 and 2:
𝜏 = 𝑚𝑎𝑡 𝑟 = 𝑚 𝛼𝑟 𝑟 = 𝑚𝑟 2 𝛼 = 𝐼𝛼
𝜏 = 𝐼𝛼
Remember at = αr and I = mr 2
A disk has a moment of inertia of 3 x 10-4 kg.m2 and rotates with an angular speed of 3.5 rad/sec.
What net torque must be applied to bring it to rest within 3 s?
 Analogies Between Translational and Rotational Motion

Translational Motion Rotational Motion

x  
v  
a  
v = v0 + at   = 0 +  t
at 2 t 2
x = xo + v0t +   =  0 + 0t +
2 2
v 2 − v02 = 2a ( x − xo )   2 − 02 = 2 ( −  0 )
mv 2 I 2
K=  K=
2 2
m  I
F = ma   = I
F  