Why couldn't it ? Torque is defined as the cross product of the distance from the origin and the net force, right ?kuruman said:
Almost. Distance is a scalar, not a vector. If force ##\vec{F}## is applied at position vector ##\vec{r}##, the torque about the origin is ##\vec{r} \times \vec{F}##.Physicslearner1 said:
135 degrees in the xy plane ?kuruman said:
And what is the angle between the vector product and each of the original vectors?Physicslearner1 said:
It's perpendicular to both of themharuspex said:
Right. And the force of gravity is in the z direction, so any torque it exerts must be at right angles to the z direction.Physicslearner1 said:
Ok, but I'm still not sure of understanding why torque is disregarded.haruspex said:
For the moment, suppose the turntable is stationary. We drop a lump of putty on one edge. This exerts a torque about a horizontal axis. Will the turntable tip? Why not?Physicslearner1 said:
The torque along the z axis is not affected by gravity because gravity is a conservative force, meaning that it does not cause any rotational motion. Torque, on the other hand, is a measure of the rotational force applied to an object. Therefore, the direction and magnitude of torque are determined by the applied force and the object's moment of inertia, not by gravity.
The direction of gravity does not affect the torque along the z axis because torque is a vector quantity and is dependent on the direction of the applied force and the distance from the axis of rotation. The direction of gravity only determines the direction of the force acting on the object, not the direction of torque.
Yes, the mass of an object can affect the torque along the z axis. Torque is directly proportional to the mass of an object, meaning that the greater the mass, the greater the torque. However, the mass alone does not determine the torque, as the distance from the axis of rotation also plays a crucial role.
The torque along the z axis remains constant because it is a measure of the net rotational force acting on an object. As long as the applied force and the distance from the axis of rotation remain the same, the torque will remain constant, regardless of the object's motion. This is known as the conservation of angular momentum.
The shape of an object can affect the torque along the z axis in two ways. Firstly, the moment of inertia, which is a measure of an object's resistance to rotational motion, varies with the shape of the object. A larger moment of inertia will require a greater torque to cause rotational motion. Secondly, the shape of an object can affect the distance from the axis of rotation, which is a crucial factor in determining the magnitude of torque.