Define torque as the turning moment of a force

• Torque is defined as the rotating moment or turning effect of a force.
• We can define torque mathematically as:

(1)

\begin{align} \tau = F \times d_\bot \end{align}

where:

• $\tau$ is the Torque ($Nm$)
• $F$ is the Force applied ($N$)
• $d_\bot$ is the perpendicular distance to the pivot of rotation from the applied force ($m$)

• When the force acts at an angle, we can split it up into its relative horizontal and vertical components to find the effective or perpendicular force.
• Hence, for the example to the right, Torque can be defined by:

(2)

\begin{align} \tau = F \times d \sin{\theta} \end{align}