Final answer:
In order to find the torque, the equation τ = rFsin(θ) is used with a force of 40 N, where the angle θ is 90 degrees. Assuming a 4-meter distance to the axis, the torque would be 160 N·m.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to calculate the torque of a force, you can use the equation τ = rFsin(θ) where τ is torque, r is the distance
from the axis to the point of application of the force, F is the magnitude of the force, and θ is the angle between the
force vector and the lever arm.
In this case, the force is 40 N acting perpendicular to the lever arm (which means θ = 90°), hence the sine component
will be 1.
Assuming r is given as 4 meters (as it is not explicitly stated in the question), the torque would be calculated as (4)
(40)sin(90°) which equals 160 N·m, and the sign of the torque will depend on the direction of the force relative to the
rotation axis.