Could someone please explain the concept of torques to me in physics?

Question

I now it has something to do with the moment of force but other than that, I'm confused.

Answer 1

The concept of force in terms of torque relate to the twist. If I had a rod of metal and I held it fast at one end and twisted the other, how much force is limited before permanent alteration is induced in the molecular structure? The material is under stress to remain in place. Some materials have spring tension which enable it to give way to the resistance and return. Over-torque is going beyond the known tensile strength. Twisting may induce stretching or linear failure.

Answer 2

Torque is the rotating force you have to give something in order to turn it. Even though torque has untis of energy, it is still stated as a force because the force that you must use to rotate the object is not in the direction of motion.

The strange think about torque is that its direction and magnitude is measured at a perpendicular direction from the motion. The torque is perpendicular because it is parrelel to another quantity in physics called angular moemntum, which is a constant in systems and does affect the way objects move and react to movement. Torque and angular moementum relation is that torque is the total amount of angular momentum in a given time. Hope that helps

Answer 3

Torque N is analogous to Force F, but for rotation instead of linear motion. That is, N=I dw/dt, where I is the moment of inertia (for rotation), and w in angular velocity is analogous to F=m dv/dt where m is mass and v is velocity. The basic idea is that a rigid body has 6 spatial degrees of freedom, 3 to define the location of its center of mass, and 3 to define its orientation in space. Between the torque law and the force law, its complete dynamics may be calculated..

Answer 4

Torque = Force x Distance.

You can almost view it as "rotational" force needed to twist something.

A common example is a lever. If you have a longer lever, you're able to "lift" a heavier object at the end of the lever.

If you screw in a nut, (or unscrew one), to get the same torque, you either need a short "arm", and a lot of force, or a longer arm with a lot of force.

If you don't believe, me try this. Get 2 allen wrenches, 1 long and 1 short, screw it in as tight as you can with the short one. Try to unscrew it with the short one. Then try to unscrew it with the long one. In that case, the torque you need to unscrew the screw is the same, but because your "distance" has increased, you have generated more torque.

Answer 5

It IS the moment of a force. Or a twist.