| Questions | 5 |
| Topics | Force Lines of Action, Inertia, Mass, Mechanical Advantage, Torque |
Collinear forces act along the same line of action, concurrent forces pass through a common point and coplanar forces act in a common plane.
The more mass a substance has the more force is required to move it or to change its direction. This resistance to changes in direction is known as inertia.
Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object. In general, larger objects have larger mass than smaller objects but mass ultimately depends on how compact (dense) a substance is.
Mechanical advantage is a measure of the force amplification achieved by using a tool, mechanical device or machine system. Such a device utilizes input force and trades off forces against movement to amplify and/or change its direction.
Torque measures force applied during rotation: τ = rF. Torque (τ, the Greek letter tau) = the radius of the lever arm (r) multiplied by the force (F) applied. Radius is measured from the center of rotation or fulcrum to the point at which the perpendicular force is being applied. The resulting unit for torque is newton-meter (N-m) or foot-pound (ft-lb).