alleryStart learning →Doubling the perpendicular lever arm while keeping the force the same changes torque to:
AExactly the same
BTwice its value
CHalf its value
DOne quarter of it
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Twice its value
1. Torque scales with both the force and the lever arm.
2. The perpendicular lever arm is the shortest distance from the pivot to the line of action.
3. A smaller force at the same distance gives a smaller torque, so torque rises with force.
4. It rises the same way with the lever arm, since both enter as a product.
5. Doubling the lever arm therefore doubles the torque.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 9 'Statics and Torque', sections 9.1-9.5_
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