In an effort to loosen the bolt on the wheel of a car, a man with a mass of 70kg steps on the end of a 50cm tire iron which is extending horizontally from the bolt. How much torque is he applying to the bolt?
Keep the initial velocity fixed at 50 m/s. Perform the experiment for each of the following angles:
To find the torque applied to the bolt, we need to use the formula: Torque = Force × Distance.
In this case, the force applied is the man's weight, and the distance is the length of the tire iron from the bolt to the point where the man is applying force.
First, let's convert the length of the tire iron from cm to meters:
Distance = 50 cm = 0.5 meters
Now, we can calculate the torque:
Force = mass × acceleration due to gravity
Force = 70 kg × 9.8 m/s^2 (acceleration due to gravity)
Force = 686 N (newtons)
Torque = Force × Distance
Torque = 686 N × 0.5 m
Torque = 343 Nm (newton meters)
Therefore, the man is applying a torque of 343 newton meters to the bolt.