What is the direction of torque?
- APerpendicular to the direction of applied force
- BSame as the direction of applied force
- COpposite to the direction of applied force
- DParallel to the radius
Solution & Step-by-step Explanation
Torque (
τ
) is given by the cross product of the position vector (
r
) and the force vector (
F
), i.e.,
τ
=
r
×
F
. By properties of vector cross-products, the resulting vector is always perpendicular to both vectors defining the plane, which means it is perpendicular to the direction of the applied force.
τ
) is given by the cross product of the position vector (
r
) and the force vector (
F
), i.e.,
τ
=
r
×
F
. By properties of vector cross-products, the resulting vector is always perpendicular to both vectors defining the plane, which means it is perpendicular to the direction of the applied force.