This principle is covered in many alternative educational settings such as camps and tutoring. Most camps often happen during times when students have big periods of time off of school like march break or summer vacation. Camps can really expand the knowledge of campers all while still having fun. There are many advanced camps the incorporate physics within them. They allow campers to do research on certain topics and do experiments as well as have sessions from various departments of universities. Some camps such as ISSYP brings students on field trip to see physics in the real world and how it is being applied (reference perimeter institute).
The second out of the box teaching method is tutoring. Through tutoring students are able to get extra help on classes that they are having a bit more trouble understanding. Tutors try to explain the topic through their own ways that they think will be beneficial and also help with practise problems by guiding the student through the correct steps. The goal is to lead the student to become a more independent learner and eventually not need a tutor anymore.
The principle of torque is currently covered in various ways. These ways include classrooms, textbooks and in laboratory settings. Since the topic of torque is first taught in first year of university it is taught in the classroom through lecture style. By sitting through a lecture, the professor states all the important terms and points about what torque, what is does and how to calculate it. This is usually done on a slideshow that includes pictures and examples of problems with the solutions. In the end, lectures can be very beneficial to students who are both auditory and visual learners because they can listen to the professor speak or read and analyze the slideshow that is provided.
In addition, torque is taught in textbooks. As stated in section 2.1, torque is introduced in Engineering Statics and Physics. Within the textbooks for each of these courses there are separate chapters all about torque. These textbooks go into great depth of how torque occurs and the affects it has on the objects that torque is occurring about. They also contain example problems with solutions that have explanations of every step that is used to achieve the correct answer. Examples are very helpful to students because they can then have an idea of how to solve practise problems that require similar steps that are shown. At the end of every chapter both the physics and statics textbook have practise problems included. This helps the student practise the equations they just read about and go over the key definitions that are required to know. Textbooks are mainly beneficial for visual learners and those who prefer to learn from reading and writing.
Lastly, torque can be taught and practised in a laboratory setting. By going to a lab, a student can practise causing torque and feel the motion that occurs. As well as doing the experiments in a lab, the student is also required to write a lab report or fill out questions based on what they are doing. This improves the student to actually understand what they are seeing or doing. Doing a lab is extremely beneficial for kinesthetic learners which are those who learn best by being able to carry out an activity physically to practise the new information they have just learned.
There are many instructional ways in which torque is taught. The mainstream approaches vary from auditory learning in lectures to hands on learning in a laboratory setting. On the other hand, there are other approaches that are not so common. This can include camps and tutoring which act as additional learning process that can really advance the knowledge of the student.
A famous French mathematician, Pierre Varignon once developed a theory now called Varignon’s theorem. This theory states that “the moment of a force about a point is equal to the sum of the moments of the components of the force about the point” (REFERENCE STATICS TEXTBOOK). In this case moment is equivalent to torque. Torque is a physical quantity and occurs when a force is applied to a point on an object or an axis and causes rotation or angular acceleration.
In order to calculate torque, one would have to take the product of the force that is applied and the perpendicular distance between that force and the specified point. The perpendicular distance can also be referred to as the lever arm. This lever arm is able to increase or decrease the amount of torque that is happening. If the force is not perpendicular to the specified point there is and alternative way to calculate torque. This can be done by using the cross product, which is r x F. Where r is the position vector connecting the point and force and F is the applied force.
Learning torque in school is very important in order to understand how some objects stay in place when certain forces are acting on them. The principle of torque is greatly known by mechanics and engineers and is quite important in the investigation of structure (REFERENCE LINK SPRINGER ROSENTHAL). Being an engineer, one would experience torque when trying to hang a metal beam that has a hinge at one end. Also, someone could experience torque by doing simple, everyday actions such as using a wrench. A more advanced occurrence of torque is in wheels and engines of cars. An everyday example of torque that everyone experiences is opening a door. As the door is being opened a force is being applied onto the door furthest away from the hinges. The harder one pulls on the door the more torque they generate(REFERNCE KHAN ACADEMY). The theory of torque is first introduced in first year university in Engineering Statics and Physics. In grade 12 torque is briefly introduced under the application of the cross product. This is taught in an academic math class called Calculus and Vectors. The specific level that will be considered throughout this report will be the university level. The theory of torque goes into great depth when taught in first year university in order to actually understand what is going on and why it is happening.
In first year, physics, the student will begin the course by reviewing forces and what happens to the objects they act on. Later on, a new unit called rotational motion is taught. Within this unit one will learn how forces affect the change in rotational motion of an object. This action is known as torque and is studied in physics because of the affect it has on angular acceleration (reference textbook)
When a student enrolls in Engineering Statics one learns to solve engineering problems using principles of static equilibrium and torque to analyze forces and torque acting on structures, trusses, frames and machines. In this course, torque is referred to as a moment. When calculating a moment in statics it is about a point or axis on an object such as a pipe, light post or the action of a wrench. After understanding moments, one learns about how to reach equilibrium by applying a moment in the opposite direction. In addition, this course goes into even more depth about moments and introduces coupling moments. Coupling moments are two parallel force of the same magnitude acting on the same object and separated by a perpendicular force (reference textbook)