Any pair of equal and opposite forces acting on the same object is called a couple. Consider the couple in part (a) of the figure. The rotation axis is perpendicular to the page and passes through point P. (a) Show that the net torque due to this couple is equal to Fd, where d is the distance between the lines of action of the two forces. Because the distance d is independent of the location of the rotation axis, this shows that the torque is the same for any rotation axis. (b) Repeat for the couple in part (b) of the figure. Show that the torque is still Fd if d is the perpendicular distance between the lines of action of the forces.
(a)

(b)

Transcribed Image Text:

AF Po- -d- -x1-