NDEJJE SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS Name: ..

Class: Date: Topic: TURNING FORCES

Every time we open a door, turn on a tap or tighten up a nut with a spanner, we exert a turning force. The force turns an object about a fixed point or axis called the pivot or fulcrum. To investigate the factors that affects the turning effect of a force

If you want to undo a very tight nut or bolt on your bicycle, would you choose a short spanner or a long one? Give a reason for your answer .............................................................. Why is the handle on a door placed far away from the pivot?

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Physics Department - Andama Wilbert

Hold a metre rule horizontally and hang a weight of 2 N (a mass of 200 g) on the metre rule at the 10.0 cm mark. Slide the weight to different distances away from your hand while trying to keep the metre rule horizontal. What happens as the weight is moved away from the hand? Remove the 2 N weight and then suspend a weight of 0.5 N (a mass of 50 g) at the 70.0 cm mark. While keeping the position of the weight fixed, increase the weight gradually to 2 N (a mass of 200 g). What happens as the weight is increased?
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Physics Department - Andama Wilbert

State the factors that affect the turning effect of a force. .. The combine effect of the force and the distance is called the moment of the force. Definition: The moment of a force about a point is the product of the force and the perpendicular distance of its line of action from the point. Moment of a force = force x perpendicular distance from the pivot. The S.I unit of the moment of a force is newton metre (Nm). Principle of moments When a body is in equilibrium, the sum of the anticlockwise moments about any point is equal to the sum of the clockwise moments. To study the principle of moments

(a) Place a metre rule on a knife edge and adjust it until it balances horizontally. Note the balance point P.

(b) Suspend

a mass m1 = 50 g at a distance d1 = 10.0 cm from the pivot, P.

(c)

Suspend another mass m2 = 100 g on the R.H.S and adjust its position until the metre rule balances horizontally.

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Physics Department - Andama Wilbert

(d) Measure

the distance d2 of m2 from F.

(e) Calculate

the weights w1 and w2 of the masses m1 and m2 respectively.

(f) Calculate the moment of each weight.

(g) Repeat

the experiment for values of m1 = 100, 200 and 300 g at distances, d1 = 20.0, 30.0, 40.0 cm respectively and m2 = 200, 300, and 400 g.

(h) Tabulate the results in the following table. Use standard units only in the table.

m
1

w1 (N)

d1 (m)

w1 x d1 (N m)

m2 (kg)

w2 (N)

d2 (m)

W2 x d2 (N m)

(k g)

0 . 0 5 0 0 . 1 0 0 0 . 2 0 0 0 . 3 0 0

0.100

0.200

0.300

0.400

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Physics Department - Andama Wilbert

(i)

Comment on w1d1 and w2d2 for every pair of values of m1 and m2.

NB: When the metre rule balances horizontally, w1 and w2 exert equal and opposite moments about the pivot and the metre rule is said to be in equilibrium. Thus for a body in equilibrium sum of anticlockwise moments about any point is equal to the sum of clockwise moment. Hence for equilibrium, w1d1 = w2d2

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Physics Department - Andama Wilbert