Edexcel AL Mathematics: Moments of forces

Section 2: Moments of forces at an angle

Notes and Examples
These notes contain the following subsections:
The moment of a force which acts at an angle
Solving equilibrium problems using moments

The moment of a force which acts at an angle

In the previous section the idea of the moment of a force was introduced. The moment of a
force is found by multiplying the force by the perpendicular distance from the point about
which the moment is taken.
In all the problems the previous section, forces acted in a direction perpendicular to the line
between the fulcrum and the point at which the force acted. This makes it easy to calculate
the moment of the force.

O A
d

In the diagram above, the force F is perpendicular to OA, so the distance of the line of
action of the force from O is d. So the moment of the force about O is given by Fd .

In the diagram below, however, the force F is not perpendicular to OA.

F

O A
d

There are two ways to think about finding the moment of this force (both giving the same
result).
The first approach involves finding the perpendicular distance between the line of action of
the force and the point O.

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 F


O A
d
The diagram above shows that the perpendicular distance between the line of action of the
force and the point O is d sin  . Therefore the moment of the force is Fd sin  .

The alternative approach is to resolve the force F into components, one component parallel
to OA and the other perpendicular to OA, as shown below.

O A
d

The component parallel to OA, F cos , goes through O and therefore its moment about O
is zero.
The component perpendicular to OA, F sin  , acts at a perpendicular distance of d from O,
and so its moment about O is F sin   d , or Fd sin  .
Both approaches to finding the moment are equivalent. The one you choose to use really
depends on which one you find easier to visualise.

Example 1
The diagram shows two forces acting on a rectangular lamina ABCD.

10 N
4m C 35°
D

3m

B
A 20°
5N

Find the total anticlockwise moment of the forces about the point A.

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Solution

The diagram can be redrawn with the forces resolved into components.

4m C
D

3m

B
A

Notice that the component of the 5 N force in the direction BA passes through A, so this has no moment
about A. The component in the direction CB has a clockwise moment and so is counted as negative. However
both components of the 10 N force have a moment about A. The component in the direction DC has a
clockwise moment and the component in the direction BC has an anticlockwise moment.

Total anticlockwise moment = 10sin35 4 − 10cos35 3 − 5sin 20 4

= −5.05Nm

Solving equilibrium problems using moments

In work on equilibrium of a particle covered so far, you have solved two-dimensional
problems involving two unknown forces. You do this by resolving in two perpendicular
directions to obtain two equations describing the equilibrium. The directions involved are
often horizontal and vertical, but you have also met situations, such as a particle on a slope,
where it is easier to resolve in different directions, such as parallel to the slope and
perpendicular to the slope.
When solving a problem involving a rigid body, you must also consider possible turning
motion, as well as possible movement in two dimensions. This means that you can find
three equations to describe the equilibrium, and therefore you can solve problems involving
three unknown quantities. For example, you can find three unknown forces by resolving
horizontally and vertically and taking moments about one point. Alternatively you could
solve the same problem by resolving in one direction and taking moments about two points.
Note, however, that even though you could write down four (or more) equations describing
the equilibrium, by resolving in two directions and taking moments about two points, you
cannot solve a problem involving four unknown forces. You would find that any one of your
four equations could be obtained by combining the other three.

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When you are making a decision about how to solve a problem, remember that it is
generally easier to take moments about a point which has the lines of action of several
forces going through it.
Where there is a hinge or fulcrum in a problem, there is always some kind of reaction force
at the hinge or fulcrum. This is why it often makes sense to take moments about the hinge
or fulcrum, as the reaction force has no moment about that point.
Here is an example.

Example 2
A uniform plank AB of mass 25kg is hinged at A and held at an angle of 30 to the vertical
by a force applied at B, perpendicular to AB. Find this force.

Solution
Let the length of the plank be 2x metres.

The length of the plank is not given. This does not matter as the lengths will cancel in the moments equation.
It makes the calculations easier to work with a length of 2x rather than x, so that the distances don’t involve
fractions. The angle of the force at the hinge is not known so it is easier to show it as two components.

B
Ry x

x 30°
30°
A Rx 25g

Resolving would give you an equation involving a component of R as well as F. Taking moments about A is
the best approach as both Rx and Ry go through that point, so this will result in an equation in which F is the
only unknown.

Taking moments about A: 25 gx sin30 = F  2 x

25 g sin30
F=
2
F = 61.25
The force is 61.3N (3 s.f.)

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Ladders are a particular example of an equilibrium problem involving a rigid body. For a
ladder to lean against a wall in equilibrium, the ground must be rough, so that there is a
horizontal frictional force to counteract the horizontal reaction force at the top of the ladder
where it is in contact with the wall.
In most ladder problems, the forces all act horizontally or vertically. There are two possible
approaches: you can take moments about one end of the ladder, which involves resolving,
or you can take moments about the base of the wall. Both solutions are shown in the next
example.

Example 3
A uniform ladder of length 12.5m and mass 48kg rests with its top against a smooth wall
and its foot on rough ground, 3.5m from the base of the wall.

Find the frictional and reaction forces at the base of the ladder.

Solution 1 (moments about one end of the ladder)

Draw a diagram showing all the forces and lengths. The angle that the ladder makes with the ground is not
given, but a sketch of the right-angled triangle will allow you to find the exact values of sin  and cos 
(using Pythagoras’ theorem to find the vertical height of the triangle).

R2
B 
6.25

12.5
12
 R1
6.25

48g 3.5

F A

Resolving vertically involves only the weight and R1 so this is a good way to find R1

Resolving vertically: R1 = 48 g
= 48  9.8
= 470.4
The reaction force at the ground is 470 N (3 s.f.)

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You are not interested in R2 , so taking moments about B is an efficient way to find F as this does not involve
R2 .

Taking moments about B:

6.25  48g cos + 12.5F sin − 12.5R1 cos = 0

From the triangle above, 12.5sin  = 12 and 12.5cos = 3.5

3.5
6.25  48 g  + 12 F − 3.5  470.4 = 0
12.5
12 F = 823.2
F = 68.6
The frictional force at the base of the ladder is 68.6 N .

Solution 2 (moments about the base of the wall)

Draw a diagram showing all the forces and lengths. In this method, the angle is not needed as there will be no
resolving, but you do need to know the height of the top of the ladder above the ground, which is found using
Pythagoras’ theorem.

To

R2
B

1.75 12.5
12 12
R1
6.25

48g 3.5
F
O A
3.5

As before, resolving vertically involves only the weight and R1 so this is a good way to find R1

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Resolving vertically: R1 = 48 g
= 48  9.8
= 470.4
The reaction force at the ground is 470 N (3 s.f.)

Taking moments about O means that no resolving of forces is needed. This equation does not involve F but it
is a step towards it by finding R2

Taking moments about O:

48 g  1.75 + 12 R2 − 3.5R1 = 0
48  9.8  1.75 + 12 R2 − 3.5  470.4 = 0
R2 = 68.6

Although you are not interested in R2 , resolving horizontally allows you to use R2 to find F.

Resolving horizontally:
F − R2 = 0
F = R2 = 68.6
The frictional force at the base of the ladder is 68.6 N .

There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods shown above. The first method
only involves working with two equations. However the moments equation involves
resolving so it is a bit more complicated to write down. The second method involves three
equations but they are simpler as there is no resolving.
You do need to be confident in working with resolved forces in moments equations, as you
won’t always be able to avoid it!

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