Hyperphysics: Torque Feature Summary
- Physics in Your World
- Think about the forces on this sailboat: The force of the wind on the sail (perpendicular to the fabric of the sail), tends to rotate the boat. A force that can rotate an object is called a torque. In this case, if the torque of the wind isn't balanced, it will tip the boat over. The weight of the sailor, and also the weight of the hull that's out of the water, both create torques in the opposite sense, to balance the torque of the wind.
For more on torques, see Hyperphysics: Torque, and also this other Hyperphysics page.
- Image credit: Jupiter405; image source; larger image
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- May 1, 2012 - May 16, 2012