College Physics (4th Edition)

Published by McGraw-Hill Education
ISBN 10: 0073512141
ISBN 13: 978-0-07351-214-3

Chapter 8 - Multiple-Choice Questions - Page 310: 6

Answer

The correct answer is: $(b) ~2$

Work Step by Step

The torque is $\tau = r\times F$, where $r$ is the smallest distance between the force vector and the axis, and $F$ is the perpendicular component of the force vector. Vector 1 and vector 4 have similar magnitudes of force with vector 2, but $r_1$ and $r_4$ are both very small. Therefore, vector 1 and vector 4 produce smaller magnitudes of torque than vector 2. Although vector 3 has a larger magnitude of force, the smallest distance $r_3$ between this force vector and the axis is very small, so the magnitude of the torque is very small. The correct answer is: $(b) ~2$
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