Question 1 Report
The diagram shows a spanner being used to turn a nut. A force of 80 N is applied perpendicular to the spanner at a distance of 0.25 m from the centre of the nut.
What is the moment of the force about the centre of the nut?
The moment of a force about a point is:
\[ \text{Moment} = F \times d = 80 \times 0.25 = 20 \text{ N m} \]The moment is 20 N m. Since the force is applied perpendicular to the spanner, the full force contributes to the turning effect. A common error is to try to resolve the force into components, but this is only necessary when the force is not perpendicular to the distance.
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