Definition:Torque

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Definition

Torque is a measure of strength of a force to effect rotation of a body.

Let $\mathbf F$ be a force acting at a point on a body $B$.

Let $B$ rotate around a point $O$ as a consequence of the action of $\mathbf F$.

Let $\mathbf r$ be the position vector of $P$ with respect to $O$, that is:

$\mathbf r = \vec {OP}$


The torque about $O$ is defined as the cross product of the vector $\mathbf r$ and $\mathbf F$:

$\bstau = \mathbf r \times \mathbf F$


Torque is a vector quantity.


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Symbol

$\bstau$

The usual symbol used to denote torque is the boldface Greek letter $\bstau$ (tau).


Its $\LaTeX$ code is \bstau .


Dimension

The dimension of measurement of torque is $\mathsf {M L}^2 \mathsf T^{-2}$.

This derives from its definition as:

$\text{Force} \times \text {Displacement}$


Unit

The SI unit of measurement of torque is the newton-metre.

The CGS unit of measurement of torque is the dyne-centimetre.

The FPS unit of measurement of torque is the pound-foot.


Also known as

Torque is also known as the moment of a force, or just moment.


Also see

  • Results about torque can be found here.


Sources

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