Q.Derive an expression for the work done by torque.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Just as linear work is force times displacement, the work done by a torque is the torque multiplied by the angular displacement: W = τ Δθ.
Consider a rigid body free to rotate about a fixed axis. Let a tangential force Ft act on a particle of the body located at a perpendicular distance r from the axis.
When the body rotates through a small angle dθ, the particle moves through a small arc length ds = r dθ.
The small work done by the tangential force on this particle is:
dW = Ft · ds = Ft (r dθ) = (Ft r) dθ
But Ft r is exactly the magnitude of the torque τ about the axis (torque = force × perpendicular distance from axis, for the tangential component of force):
τ = Ft r
So:
dW = τ dθ
Total work done as the body rotates from angle θ1 to θ2:
W = ∫(θ1 to θ2) τ dθ
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