Question

Two equal forces are applied to a door at the doorknob. The first force is applied perpendicular to the door; the second force is applied at 30° to the plane of the door. Which force exerts the greater torque?

Answer 1

Answer:

The force which acts perpendicular to the door exerts the maximum torque.

Explanation:

Torque is defined as the product of force applied on the body and the perpendicular distance.

Mathematically it is written as

$\overrightarrow{\tau }=\overrightarrow{r}\times \overrightarrow{F}$

Where, r is the distance and F be the force applied

As it is the cross product of two vectors, it is maximum if the angle between the two vectors is 90 degree.

So, the force which acts perpendicular to the door exerts the maximum torque.