----- Original Message ----- From: "caryccc" <caryccc@JUNO.COM>
> I'm sure this is a silly question for those of you in the know, but why does > the lever need to be horizontal when measuring torque? The length of the > lever is the same at any angle, and the force applied will be perpendicular > to the lever, right? Well, no. Imagine your lever is at the "4:30" position, i.e., 45 degrees off horizontal. Now hang your weight from the lever. In which direction is the weight hanging? Vertically! The force is *not* being applied perpendicular to the lever, it's 45 degrees off, which changes the torque being applied to the fastener, the difference being the sine of the angle. To illustrate this point with an extreme example, imagine your lever at the "6 o'clock" position and hang your weight off the lever. What torque is being applied in this case? None. --------------------------------------------------------------- Tom Young '81 Vanagon Lafayette, CA 94549 '82 Westfalia --------------------------------------------------------------- |
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