Torque is one of the many terms of Physics that you may have heard daily. For instance, many commercial companies use the value of torque to sell their products, especially cars. You may have commonly heard about the impressive torque or horsepower that their cars and engines supply. These are torque applications. However, if you do not have a thorough understanding of what these numbers mean, they’ll merely be numbers to you. You can easily be tricked to believe in false numbers otherwise. From car engines to door hinges, torque can be seen everywhere. Hence, we will do an in-depth study of the basics of torque and how it works and then proceed towards torque applications.
What is torque?
Torque is the force that allows an object to twist, turn, or rotate. It is similar to force in many aspects except the fact that force is generally referred to as the pushing and pulling of an object. On the other hand, torque refers to the object twisting or rotating.
The torque is also known as moment or moment of force. Torque can be termed as the rotational force that makes any object move across its axis, pivot, or fulcrum. If we consider torque applications in real-life, the turning of the bicycle wheel or bolt twist or the opening of a door by its hinge, and so on.
Which factors are torque dependent upon?
Several factors determine how the torque functions. It also affects the various torque applications. Some of these factors are as follows:
- The Magnitude of Force.
- The force orientation is applied from the displacement from the point of force application to the axis.
- The distance between the rotation axis and the point of the force application.
The SI unit of the torque is N-m
Where, N is in Newton, a unit of force and m is in metres, a unit of distance.
What is the significance of torque?
There are several reasons why one should have a thorough knowledge of how torque functions in real life. Torque applications can be seen in every walk of life from bicycles to cars. We must know how these rotational forces work so that we can assess the torque of the same.
With the proper assessment of torque, we can determine the direction and magnitude of the force that is applied to the object. It will help you determine in which direction the force is applied if it is in clockwise or anticlockwise motion. Moreover, it will also help you determine the angular acceleration in which the object is being rotated.
What are the various units of measurement of torque?
Torque has various units of measurement. These are:
- Newton centimetre
- Kilogram centimetre
- Gram centimetre
- Foot-poundal
- Pound Foot
- Kilonewton Metre
- Dyne centimetre
- Kilogram metre
- Pound Foot
- Ounce Inch
- Ounce Foot
Applications of torque
Many torque applications surround the terminology torque. From simple mechanisms to complex machinery, torque applications are to be found everywhere. Let’s discuss some of them below:
- Wrench:
A wrench is used to twist and turn a nut or bolt. This helps in loosening or tightening nuts. When we are using a wrench to help in loosening or tightening a nut around a bolt, a pulling force is applied across the rotational axis of the nut which reinstates the torque to rotate it.
If you were to increase the torque for the turning of the nut across the bolt, you need to increase the amount of force applied or increase the distance of the force application point to the pivot point.
- Seesaws:
Everyone has used the seesaw once in their life. It was a thing of great joy and entertainment as a kid. However, it is amusing to know that it works on the principle of torque as well. In a seesaw, two people sit on the two extreme ends of the swing. The heavier person lifts the lighter one. Nonetheless, when the heavier person is closer to the pivot, the length decreases. This further reduces the amount of torque that takes the lighter person upwards. This is a perfect example of how the length from the pivot causes the torque to change.
- The hinge of doors:
It is one of the most common examples of torque applications. Through this, the torque applied to the door allows it to move across the rotational axis. The pivots here are supposed to be the hinges of the door. If you are to apply force here, the door will not open easily. However, when a force is applied far away from the pivot point, the door will open easily.
- Steering wheel:
The steering wheel of an 18-wheeler or truck is bigger than that of a car. Wonder why? It is because turning a larger radius wheel requires more force. If the radius increases, the amount of force required for the torque decreases. This makes it easier to turn the wheel.
Conclusion
Through this article, we have looked at the basics of torque and how torque applications work in everyday life. It is one of the most important concepts of Physics that everyone should be aware of. Torque also goes by the name moment or moment of force. It is used widely in the commercial industries. From the simple mechanism of turning a bicycle wheel to driving a car, torque can be seen everywhere. It is astonishing to know that even the seesaw makes use of torque for its basic mechanism. Torque is also used in several complex types of machinery of the industrial area.
