: Why do we have more force with an object when it’s longer (for example bending metal with a long metal stick that is a few meters away)
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If you imagine a bar connected to a shaft that can rotate.
O———–
Like that (imagine it viewed from above).
The further out you are from the shaft when you push on that bar, the further you have to walk to make the shaft turn the same amount, say one full rotation. That’s more work you’re putting in to turn the shaft by the same amount. That means the rotational force (torque) with which that shaft is turning is increased.
All this assumes you’re putting the same force onto the bar and walking at the same speed both times.
This is why torque is described in inch-pounds, or foot-pounds, or newton-metres. It’s literally how far out on the imaginary bar you are, and how hard you’re pushing.
That principle works for levers too.
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