A square, 0.36 m on a side, is mounted so that it can rotate about an axis that passes through the center of the square. The axis is perpendicular to the plane of the square. A force of 14.4 N lies in this plane and is applied to the square. What is the magnitude of the maximum torque that such a force could produce?
Answer in N(m)
To find the magnitude of the maximum torque produced by the force, we need to calculate the lever arm and multiply it by the force applied.
The lever arm, in this case, is the perpendicular distance between the axis of rotation and the line of action of the force. Since the force lies in the plane of the square, and the axis is perpendicular to that plane, the lever arm is the distance between the center of the square and the edge where the force is applied.
Given that the square has sides of length 0.36 m, the distance from the center to any edge is half of that, so the lever arm is 0.36 m / 2 = 0.18 m.
Now, we can calculate the torque using the formula:
Torque = force x lever arm
Given that the force is 14.4 N and the lever arm is 0.18 m, the torque is:
Torque = 14.4 N x 0.18 m = 2.592 N(m)
Therefore, the magnitude of the maximum torque that such a force could produce is 2.592 N(m).