Torque: a turning effect
Think of a wrench: why does the distance from the bolt matter as well as the push?
Torque is the turning effect of a force acting at a distance from an axis. Think of pushing a wrench: the force and its perpendicular distance from the bolt both matter. At the engine, torque describes the turning effect delivered by the crankshaft.
Torque is a turning effect. For a perpendicular push, multiply force by the distance from the turning axis.
A transmission can multiply torque by reducing rotational speed. It does not create energy; real components also have losses.
Think it throughA diagram shows a 10 N perpendicular force applied 0.3 m from an axis. Find the torque. Then move the same force to 0.6 m and compare.
Show the reasoning
10 × 0.3 = 3 Nm. At 0.6 m, 10 × 0.6 = 6 Nm. Doubling the perpendicular lever arm doubles the turning effect without changing the force.
- Identify the force and the perpendicular lever arm.
- Keep the result in Nm, separate from power units.