Calculating Torque: How Much Torque Can Gionny Apply to a Lug Nut?

Calculating Torque

42-kg gionny is trying to take off a lug nut off his tire using a tire-iron. What is the torque he can apply, in newton-meters, if he puts his whole body-weight on the tire-iron 0.31-m from the lug nut?

Gionny can apply a torque of approximately 127.63 N·m to the lug nut. To calculate the torque that Gionny can apply to the lug nut, we need to use the formula:
Torque = Force x Distance x sin(θ) where θ is the angle between the force vector and the lever arm (the distance from the axis of rotation to the point where the force is applied), and sin(θ) is the sine of that angle.

Assuming that Gionny's weight is the force he applies on the tire-iron, and that he can exert a force equal to his weight, we can calculate the force as:
Force = mass x gravity where mass is Gionny's mass and gravity is the acceleration due to gravity, which is approximately 9.81 m/s^2. Therefore, the force Gionny can apply is:
Force = 42 kg x 9.81 m/s^2 = 411.42 N

The distance from the lug nut to the point where Gionny applies the force is given as 0.31 m. So the torque he can apply is:
Torque = Force x Distance x sin(θ) = 411.42 N x 0.31 m x sin(90°) = 127.63 N·m

Therefore, Gionny can apply a torque of approximately 127.63 N·m to the lug nut.

Question:

What is the torque Gionny can apply to the lug nut if he puts his whole body-weight on the tire-iron 0.31-m from the lug nut?

Answer:

Gionny can apply a torque of approximately 127.63 N·m to the lug nut by putting his whole body-weight on the tire-iron 0.31-m from the lug nut.

← Machine movement understanding the basics How to calculate initial velocity of a moving object →