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“A commitment to teach and nurture”

Newtonian Mechanics: Turning Effect of Forces

Candidates should be able to:

a) describe the moment of a force in terms of its turning effect and relate this to everyday examples

b) recall and apply the relationship: moment of a force (or torque) = force x perpendicular distance from

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the pivot to new situations or to solve related problems

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c) state the principle of moments for a body in equilibrium

d) apply the principle of moments to new situations or to solve related problems

e) show understanding that the weight of a body may be taken as acting at a single point known as its

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centre of gravity

f) describe qualitatively the effect of the position of the centre of gravity on the stability of objects

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* not in combined Science syllabus

# not in N level Science syllabus

O Level Physics – Turning Effect of Forces 1

 Danyal Education (Contact: 9855 9224)
“A commitment to teach and nurture”

What is meant by the “moment of a force”? Define “centre of gravity”.

The moment of a force is the turning effect of a The centre of gravity is the point which the whole
force, and is obtained by the product of the force weight of an object appears to act on, for any
and the perpendicular distance from the line of orientation of the object.
action of the force to the pivot.

Factors affecting the stability of an object:

Formula to calculate moment: 1. The position of the centre of gravity of the

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object
M=Fxd 2. The object’s base area

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where:
M: moment (Nm)
F: force (N) To increase the stability of an object, we should
d: perpendicular distance (m) ensure that:
1. Its centre of gravity is as low as possible
2. Its base area is as wide as possible.

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What is the Principle of Moments?

The Principle of Moments states that, when a body

is in equilibrium, the sum of the clockwise
moments about a pivot is equal to the sum of the
anti-clockwise moments about the same pivot.

Applying Principle of Moments,

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Sum of CW moments = sum of ACW moments

F1 d1 = F2 d2
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O Level Physics – Turning Effect of Forces 2

 Danyal Education (Contact: 9855 9224)
“A commitment to teach and nurture”

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O Level Physics – Turning Effect of Forces 3

 Danyal Education (Contact: 9855 9224)
“A commitment to teach and nurture”

The three types of equilibrium:

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O Level Physics – Turning Effect of Forces 4

 Danyal Education (Contact: 9855 9224)
“A commitment to teach and nurture”

Example of a double-pivot question

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O Level Physics – Turning Effect of Forces 5