torque help for MCAT

[tank you]

i am really lost when it comes to solving torque problems/concepts. does anyone have any advice/strategies on how to do them?

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[swifteagle43]

i am really lost when it comes to solving torque problems/concepts. does anyone have any advice/strategies on how to do them?

Its all forces man. Force times Distance * Angle right? Whats so hard?

 

[GreekPre-Med]

For those of you who have taken the MCAT, did torque appear on it at all?

I just ask because some torque problems are easy- whereas some can get pretty ugly.

Appreciate some feedback

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

For those of you who have taken the MCAT, did torque appear on it at all?

I just ask because some torque problems are easy- whereas some can get pretty ugly.

Appreciate some feedback

You will not see ugly torque problems, like the ladder on the wall and you have to balance forces and torques and toss in the friction coefficients as well.

It will be calculationally simple, but as its the MCAT, it could be conceptually tricky. Like a bar magnet in an applied field. It will not translate, because there are no NET forces; however, it will rotate to align with the field, because the force on each end induces a torque.

 

[45408]

For those of you who have taken the MCAT, did torque appear on it at all?

I just ask because some torque problems are easy- whereas some can get pretty ugly.

Appreciate some feedback

Nah, no uglies on the MCAT really.

As for solving them, the hardest part was sometimes realizing when a problem could only be solved by torques. Then the trick is to see how they sum to zero (if it's not in motion).

 

[Fermata]

For the record, torque was the one thing that I never really got in Physics I.

Good luck to you.

 

[jules0328]

All torque really is is Torque= force x lever arm distance (the distance that is perpendicular to the lever arm distance). In pulleys, it gets to be a bit different because you may have to account for friction between the rope and the pulley. If friction is negligible, then you would fine your pivot point, (for the pulley) and figure out which way your force is going (that is really your tension force), then the radius which is usually given (this is mostly for rotational motion, but its all intertwined with torque) which is your lever arm distance.

In regular ladder problems, you should always always take the perpendicular distance from the force, draw your line of action and it should lead you to the perpendicular distance you are trying to solve for.

This is hard to explain in writing, you should try to get a hand on a Serway, College Physics I book, very helpful!

 

[nicholonious]

All torque really is is Torque= force x lever arm distance (the distance that is perpendicular to the lever arm distance). In pulleys, it gets to be a bit different because you may have to account for friction between the rope and the pulley. If friction is negligible, then you would fine your pivot point, (for the pulley) and figure out which way your force is going (that is really your tension force), then the radius which is usually given (this is mostly for rotational motion, but its all intertwined with torque) which is your lever arm distance.

In regular ladder problems, you should always always take the perpendicular distance from the force, draw your line of action and it should lead you to the perpendicular distance you are trying to solve for.

This is hard to explain in writing, you should try to get a hand on a Serway, College Physics I book, very helpful!

Don't forget the easy conceptual part to torque. When opening a door, its easier pushing a free swinging door distal to the hinges (greater radius), thus producing greater torque. T=Frsin(theta) or T=FLsin (theta).

Hope this makes sense, just try pushing a door open near the hinge and you'll see what I mean (you'll need a lot more force!)

 

[UCLAstudent]

I had a terrible time with torque in physics 1. It all made so much more sense when I was studying for the MCAT. Don't get too scared! The problems should be fairly straightforward.