Torque is equal to force times __________.

• A. Distance (T= F x D)
• B. Mass
• C. Area
• D. Velocity

Answer: (A)

Torque measures how strongly a force tends to rotate an object about a pivot. The rotational effect comes from two factors: how hard you push (the force) and how far from the pivot you push, with only the part of the force that acts perpendicular to the line from the pivot contributing. The torque is the product of the force and the lever arm—the perpendicular distance from the pivot to the line of action of the force. When the force is perpendicular to the lever arm, this distance is the full distance from pivot to where you apply the force, so torque equals Force times distance. Mass, area, and velocity don’t enter this simple relationship.