Moments

what is a moment

The rotational or turning effect of a force

what is the pivot

the point around which the object turns

which distance do you use when calculating a moment

distance perpendicular to the direction of the force

in a balanced seesaw the total ________ moment is equal to the total ____ _________ moment

clockwise, anti clockwise

what is the equation for moments

Moment = force x distance

what do levers do

They increase the distance from the pivot at which the force is applied multiplying force and make it easier to lift or move objects, by applying a smaller force over a greater distance to achieve a larger moment

How do levers act as force multipliers?

they increase the distance from the pivot, this means that less force has to be applied to achieve the same moment

what do gears do

Transmit the rotational effect of a force from one place to another

how do gears work to turn each other

the gears are interlocking so any rotation of gear A rotates gear B which in turn rotates the wheels, the gears turn in opposite directions

gear A ( the smaller one) rotates twice for every rotation of B and as the radius of B is 2x bigger the turning effect is also 2x bigger than gear A

what is stability

a measure of how likely it is for an object to topple over when it's pushed or moved

what causes an object to topple over and lose stability

if its centre of gravity is outside the base or edge on which it balances

what is required for an object to be stable

- a wide base

- a low centre of gravity

what causes a car to lose stability and topple over

the centre of gravity is outside the wheel base ( the wheel base acts as a pivot for the car), then the weight has a turning effect or moment, which causes the car to topple over or fall back