Torque Archives • Nerd Notes

Home
Meet Phy
Learning Hub

All Resources

Everything you need to master Physics — for free.

AI Problem Solver

Meet Phy. The world's most advanced personal AI tutor.

UBQ

Learning supercharged. 1000+ Physics problems + AI help.

Speed Reviews

7 AP Physics 1 units condensed into 8 short articles.

AP Phys. Exam Prep

Proven tip, tricks, and hacks to help you score that coveted five.

Learn from Scratch

Learn Physics, from scratch at your own pace.
UBQ
Services

Elite 1-to-1 Coaching

Guaranteed performance boost in scores and understanding.

AP Exam Prep

5 weeks for a 5. Expedited progress. Stellar Results.

Learn AP Physics

1-to-1 lessons covering AP Physics from start to end.

All Other Programs

Other 1-to-1 and group programs to accelerate Physics mastery.
Pricing
Jobs

What we found:

A net torque is applied to the edge of a spinning object as it rotates about its internal axis. The table shows the net torque exerted on the object at different instants in time. How can a student use the data table to determine the change in angular momentum of the object from ( 0 ) to ( 6 ) ( text{s} )? Justify your selection.

Time ( (text{s}) ) Net Torque ( (text{N} cdot text{m}) )

0 0

2 1.5

4 3.0

6 4.5

An \( 80 \, \text{kg} \) block is placed \( 2 \, \text{m} \) away from the endpoint of a horizontal steel beam of length \( 6.6 \, \text{m} \) and mass \( 1,450 \, \text{kg} \). The plank makes contact with a vertical wall on one end, and the other endpoint is attached to a massless cable that makes an angle of \( 30^\circ \) with the horizontal and ties into the vertical wall as well. Calculate the magnitude and direction of the force between the cable and the wall and of the force between the steel beam and the wall.

Which of the following must be true for an object at translational equilibrium?

Three forces of equal magnitude are applied to a \( 3 \)-m by \( 2 \)-m rectangle. Force \( F_1 \) and \( F_2 \) act at \( 45^\circ \) angles to the vertical as shown, while \( F_3 \) acts horizontally.

Three masses are attached to a \( 1.5 \, \text{m} \) long massless bar. Mass 1 is \( 2 \, \text{kg} \) and is attached to the far left side of the bar. Mass 2 is \( 4 \, \text{kg} \) and is attached to the far right side of the bar. Mass 3 is \( 4 \, \text{kg} \) and is attached to the middle of the bar. At what distance from the far left side of the bar can a string be attached to hold the bar up horizontally?

A disk is initially rotating counterclockwise around a fixed axis with angular speed \( \omega_0 \). At time \( t = 0 \), the two forces shown in the figure above are exerted on the disk. If counterclockwise is positive, which of the following could show the angular velocity of the disk as a function of time?

A solid metal bar is at rest on a horizontal frictionless surface. It is free to rotate about a vertical axis at the left end. The figures below show forces of different magnitudes that are exerted on the bar at different locations. In which case does the bar’s angular speed about the axis increase at the fastest rate?

An old record player could bring a disk up to its 45 RPM speed in less than a second. If the same size disk can also be brought up to a speed of 75 RPM in about the same amount of time on another player, compare the two torques.

Two spheres of equal size and equal mass are rotated with an equal amount of torque. One of the spheres is solid with its mass evenly distributed throughout its volume, and the other is hollow with all of its mass concentrated at the edges. Which sphere would rotate faster?

A solid sphere \( I = 0.06 \, \text{kg} \cdot \text{m}^2 \) spins freely around an axis through its center at an angular speed of \( 20 \, \text{rad/s} \). It is desired to bring the sphere to rest by applying a friction force of magnitude \( 2.0 \, \text{N} \) to the sphere’s outer surface, a distance of \( 0.30 \, \text{m} \) from the sphere’s center. How much time will it take the sphere to come to rest?

A \( 50 \, \text{kg} \) person is sitting on a seesaw \( 1.2 \, \text{m} \) from the balance point. On the other side, a \( 70 \, \text{kg} \) person is balanced. How far from the balance point is the second person sitting?

As it is, the system above is not balanced. Which of the following changes would NOT balance the system so that there is 0 net torque? Assume the plank has no mass of its own.

What is the net torque acting on the pivot supporting a 10-kilogram beam 2 meters long as shown above?

A uniform ladder with mass \( m_2 \) and length \( L \) rests against a smooth wall. A do-it-yourself enthusiast of mass \( m_1 \) stands on the ladder a distance \( d \) from the bottom (measured along the ladder). The ladder makes an angle \( \theta \) with the ground. There is no friction between the wall and the ladder, but there is a frictional force of magnitude \( f \) between the floor and the ladder.\( N_1 \) is the magnitude of the normal force exerted by the wall on the ladder, and \( N_2 \) is the magnitude of the normal force exerted by the ground on the ladder. Throughout the problem, consider counterclockwise torques to be positive.

A \( 6.00 \, \text{m} \) long, \( 500 \, \text{kg} \) steel uniform beam extends horizontally from the point where it has been bolted to the framework of a new building under construction. A \( 70 \, \text{kg} \) construction worker stands at the far end of the beam. What is the magnitude of the torque about the bolt due to the worker and the weight of the beam?

Which of the following must be zero if an object is spinning at a constant rate? There can be more than one right answer.

While traveling in its elliptical orbit around the Sun, Mars gains speed during the part of the orbit where it is getting closer to the Sun. Which of the following can be used to explain this gain in speed?

A construction worker spins a square sheet of metal of mass 0.040 kg with an angular acceleration of 10.0 rad/s2 on a vertical spindle (pin). What are the dimensions of the sheet if the net torque on the sheet is 1.00 N·m? Assume that the moment of inertia of a rectangle is [katex] I = \frac{1}{12}M(a^2+b^2) [/katex]

Two workers are holding a thin plate with length 5 m and height 2 m at rest by supporting the plate in the bottom corners. The workers are standing at rest on a slope of 10 degrees. Treat these supporting forces as vertical normal forces and calculate their magnitudes and state if both workers are sharing “the job” fairly.

A wheel of radius R and negligible mass is mounted on a horizontal frictionless axle so that the wheel is in a vertical plane. Three small objects having masses m, M, and 2M, respectively, are mounted on the rim of the wheel, as shown above. If the system is in static equilibrium, what is the value of m in terms of M ?

A disk of known radius and rotational inertia can rotate without friction in a horizontal plane around its fixed central axis. The disk has a cord of negligible mass wrapped around its edge. The disk is initially at rest, and the cord can be pulled to make the disk rotate. Which of the following procedures would best determine the relationship between applied torque and the resulting change in angular momentum of the disk?

Two masses, my = 32 kg and mg = 38 kg, are connected by a rope that hangs over a pulley. The pulley is a uniform cylinder of radius R = 0.311 m and mass 3.1 kg. Initially my is on the ground and mg rests 2.5 m above the ground. If the system is released, use conservation of energy to determine the speed of me just before it strikes the ground. Assume the pulley bearing is frictionless.

An object weighing 120 N is set on a rigid beam of negligible mass at a distance of 3 m from a pivot, as shown above. A vertical force is to be applied to the other end of the beam a distance of 4 m from the pivot to keep the beam at rest and horizontal. What is the magnitude F of the force required?

A spinning ice skater on extremely smooth ice is able to control the rate at which she rotates by pulling in her arms. Which of the following statements are true about the skater during this process? (There could be more than one correct choice.)

If a constant net torque is applied to an object, that object will

Two equal-magnitude forces are applied to a door at the doorknob. The first force is applied perpendicular to the door, and the second force is applied at 30° to the plane of the door. Which force exerts the greater torque about the door hinge?

An object’s angular momentum changes by 10\,\text{kg-m}^2\text{/s} in 2.0 s. What magnitude average torque acted on this object?

A force of 17 N is applied to the end of a 0.63-m long torque wrench at an angle 45° from a line joining the pivot point to the handle. What is the magnitude of the torque about the pivot point produced by this force?

A solid sphere and a solid cylinder, both uniform and of the same mass and radius, roll without slipping at the same forward speed. It is correct to say that the total kinetic energy of the solid sphere is

In both cases, a massless rod is supported by fulcrum, and a 200-kg hanging mass is suspended from the left end of the rod by a cable. A downward force F keeps the rod in rest. The rod in Case A is 50 cm long, and the rod in case B is 40 cm long. (Each rod is marked at 10-cm intervals.) Will the magnitude of the vertical force F exerted on the rod Explain your reasoning.

A horizontal, uniform board of weight 125 N and length 4 m is supported by vertical chains at each end. A person weighing 500 N is sitting on the board. The tension in the right chain is 250 N. How far from the left end of the board is the person sitting?

A massless rigid rod of length 3d is pivoted at a fixed point W, and two forces each of magnitude F are applied vertically upward as shown above. A third vertical force of magnitude F may be applied, either upward or downward, at one of the labeled points. With the proper choice of direction at each point, the rod can be in equilibrium if the third force of magnitude F is applied at point?

The figure above shows a uniform beam of length L and mass M that hangs horizontally and is attached to a vertical wall. A block of mass M is suspended from the far end of the beam by a cable. A support cable runs from the wall to the outer edge of the beam. Both cables are of negligible mass. The wall exerts a force FW on the left end of the beam. For which of the following actions is the magnitude of the vertical component of FW smallest?

The figure shows a person’s foot. In that figure, the Achilles tendon exerts a force of magnitude F = 720 N. What is the magnitude of the torque that this force produces about the ankle joint?

A wheel of moment of inertia of 5.00 kg-m2 starts from rest and accelerates under a constant torque of 3.00 N-m for 8.00 s. What is the wheel’s rotational kinetic energy at the end of 8.00 s?

A string is wound tightly around a fixed pulley having a radius of 5.0 cm. As the string is pulled, the pulley rotates without any slipping of the string. What is the angular speed of the pulley when the string is moving at 5.0 m/s?

The rotating systems shown in the figure differ only in that the two identical movable masses are positioned a distance r from the axis of rotation (left), or a distance r/2 from the axis of rotation (right). If you release the hanging blocks simultaneously from rest,

When is the angular momentum of a system constant?

Two forces produce equal torques on a door about the door hinge. The first force is applied at the midpoint of the door; the second force is applied at the doorknob. Both forces are applied perpendicular to the door. Which force has a greater magnitude?

Five forces act on a rod that is free to pivot at point P, as shown in the figure. Which of these forces is producing a counter-clockwise torque about point P? (There could be more than one correct choice.)

A 0.72-m-diameter solid sphere can be rotated about an axis through its center by a torque of 10.8 N·m which accelerates it uniformly from rest through a total of 160 revolutions in 15.0 s. What is the mass of the sphere?

A uniform ladder of length L and weight W = 50 N rests against a smooth vertical wall. If the coefficient of static friction between the ladder and the ground is μ = 0.4.

A hungry bear weighing 700 N walks out on a beam in an attempt to retrieve a basket of goodies hanging at the end of the beam. The beam is uniform, weighs 200 N, and is 6.00 m long. The goodies weigh 80 N.

The system in the Figure is in equilibrium. A concrete block of mass 225 kg hangs from the end of a uniform strut whose mass is 45.0 kg.

A disk of radius \( R = 0.5 \) \( \text{cm} \) rests on a flat, horizontal surface such that frictional forces are considered to be negligible. Three forces of unknown magnitude are exerted on the edge of the disk, as shown in the figure. Which of the following lists the essential measuring devices that, when used together, are needed to determine the change in angular momentum of the disk after a known time of \( 5.0 \) \( \text{s} \)?

A rod may freely rotate about an axis that is perpendicular to the rod and is along the plane of the page. The rod is divided into four sections of equal length of 0.2 m each, and four forces are exerted on the rod, as shown in the figure. Frictional forces are considered negligible. Which of the following describes an additional torque that must be applied in order to keep the rod from rotating?

A 150-kg merry-go-round in the shape of a uniform, solid, horizontal disk of radius 1.50 m is set in motion by wrapping a rope about the rim of the disk and pulling on the rope. What constant force must be exerted on the rope to bring the merry-go-round from rest to an angular speed of 0.500 rev/s in 2.00 s?

A meterstick with a uniformly distributed mass of 0.5 kg is supported by a pivot placed at the 0.25 mn mark from the left, as shown. At the left end, a small object of mass 1.0 kg is placed at the zero mark, and a second small object of mass 0.5 kg is placed at the 0.5 m mark. The meterstick is supported so that it remains horizontal, and then it is released from rest. One second after it is released, what is the change in the angular momentum of the meterstick?

A rod is initially at rest on a rough horizontal surface. Three forces are exerted on the rod with the magnitudes and directions shown in the figure. The force exerted in the center of the rod is an equidistant 0.5 m from both ends of the rod. If friction between the rod and the table prevents the rod from rotating, what is the magnitude of the torque exerted on the rod about Its center from frictional forces?

During the experiment, students collect data about the angular momentum of a rigid, uniform spinning wheel about an axle as a function of time, which was used to create the graph that is shown. A frictional torque is exerted on the wheel. A student makes the following statement about the data. “The frictional torque exerted on the wheel is independent of the wheel’s angular speed.” Does the data from the graph support the student’s statement? Justify your selection.