Question

A pendulum consists of a rod of mass 1 kg and length 1 m connected to a pivot with a solid sphere attached at the other end with mass 0.5 kg and radius 30 cm. What is the torque about the pivot when the pendulum makes an angle of 30° with respect to the vertical?

a) 4.9 Nm
b) 9.8 Nm
c) 14.7 Nm
d) 19.6 Nm

Answer 1

To find the torque about the pivot when the pendulum makes an angle of 30° with respect to the vertical, you can use the equation Torque = force × distance. By calculating the weight of the sphere and the distance from the pivot to the center of mass, the torque can be determined to be approximately 4.9 Nm.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the torque about the pivot when the pendulum makes an angle of 30° with respect to the vertical, we need to consider the forces acting on the system. The torque can be calculated using the equation:

Torque = force × distance

The force acting on the pendulum is the weight of the sphere, which can be calculated using the equation:

Weight = mass × acceleration due to gravity

The distance from the pivot to the center of mass of the sphere is the radius of the sphere. Plugging in the values and solving the equations, we find that the torque about the pivot is approximately 4.9 Nm.