Like if you take a wrench and attach a long pipe to it so you can more easily turn whatever the wrench is holding. I just have trouble understanding how making the ‘arm’ longer increases the force on the pivot without you having to push any harder on the end of the arm.
In: Physics
The best relationship I can thing of is pushing a door. If you push very close to the hinge you can still open the door, however it takes quite a bit of strength. On the other hand if you push nearer to the latch of the door you need lessor strength than that of pushing close to the hinge. The pivot point in the door is the hinge. So going a bit deeper giving you simple numbers thing of it this way. You have 10lbs of force, and the distance to the pivot is 10 inches. Its a simple multiplication you now have 100 inch-lbs of torque. Extend that distance to 20 inches with the same force (10 lbs) and you have 200 inch-lbs of torque. Literally doubling the strength by only increasing the distance. This works in the opposite direction as well. Keep the 10 inch distance with 20 lbs force you will have 200 inch-lbs of torque.
Another good example of this is a see saw where there are two unequal weighted children. You can balance them by adjusting the distance from the point of rotation (or fulcrum)
I hope this provides clarity. I’m happy to explain more if you need.
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