torque

[dondons]

what is a SIMPLE explanation of what torque is.

[drochit]

Torque is merely something that either does cause, or may cause, rotation.

[Squirrel]

If I remember correctly, this is the turning force provided by a wheel or axle, or the turning force given to it. Think of an aeroplane's propeller with just two blades; if you push the propeller round by one of these blades, holding it right by the tip, then it turns easily. If you instead push it round from a point halfway between the tip of the blade and the centre (the pivot) then it is harder to push it with the same turning force, but your hand doesn't have to move as far. In other words, the turning force (known as a moment) provided by your hand pushing that one blade gets bigger the further your hand is from the pivot point, but also your hand has to move further. These three values (force of hand, distance to pivot, moment) are linked in the equation:

moment = force x distance to pivot

Force is measured in newtons (N) and distance is measured in metres (m), so the unit for moment is newtonmetres (Nm.) Torque is also measured in Nm; the main difference between torque and moment is that a torque is made up of two equal and opposite moments (e.g. push one propeller blade up, one down, each from a point the same distance from the pivot.) The torque of an engine can be worked out by simply attaching one end of a one metre length of pipe (or something) to the axle and one end to a newtonmeter (device for measuring force.) If this could be done, the reading would be double the torque of the engine because moment = force x distance, the distance is one, and the newtonmeter is getting a double dosage of the moment because there is usually a force on both sides to be measured (as in a wheel.) I hope I got this mostly accurate, and that we've covered whatever aspect of torque you wanted to know about.

[Squirrel]

I am plainly blind to capital letters.