Final answer:
The torque on a car's steering wheel with a diameter of 40 cm and a force of 2 N applied on each side is 0.80 Nm.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the torque on a car's steering wheel, the formula τ = r * F * sin(θ) is used, where τ is the torque, r is the radius, F is the force, and θ is the angle between the force and the lever arm's direction which in this case is 90 degrees, making sin(θ) equals to 1. In this problem, since a force of 2 N is applied to both sides, the forces create an equal and opposite torque on the steering wheel.
Therefore, the total torque can be calculated by adding the torque from each side, considering the distance as half of the diameter. The diameter is given as 40 cm, so the radius is 0.20 m (40 cm / 2). As such, the torque from one side would be 0.20 m * 2 N = 0.40 Nm. Since there are two sides, the total torque on the steering wheel will be 2 * 0.40 Nm = 0.80 Nm.