A friend of mine just asked the following question after hearing Richard Hammond make a comment. She said:<\/p>\n
“I think Hammond got it totally wrong when he gave a metaphor for a dragster suddenly swerving and crashing (a ‘moment’) as the difference between using a short-handled, smaller spanner to using a longer-handled, bigger spanner to tighten a bolt (no \u2013 in my book, the spanners show a difference in ‘leverage’). It is always recommended that women (yeah, yeah – depending on size and body-building, etc.) use longer-handled spanners, etc., because they give more leverage. Am I wrong, or missing something? Leverage, in my book, has nothing to do with \u201cmoments.\u201d Come on e-learning teacher!”<\/em><\/p>\n And my reply is as follows (they are both correct by the way, but using different words for the same thing!):<\/p>\n A longer lever (spanner) means you need less force on the end of it to produce the same torque (turning force) at the nut – a person with a shorter spanner would need to apply more force on the spanner than you. This is as you suggest, the law of levers. Torque is arguably the same thing as a Moment which is defined as: \u201cA turning effect produced by a force acting at a distance on an object.\u201d Or perhaps better as: \u201cThe magnitude of a turning effect produced by a force acting at a distance, expressed as the product of the force and the distance from its line of action to a given point.\u201d<\/p>\n Force (N) x distance (m) = Torque (Nm or Newton-meters)<\/p>\n However, moments are usually used to describe the way combinations of forces affect something. As long as all the moments on a car cancel each other out for example then it will not start to spin!<\/p>\n If you have a moment to spare – please add a comment! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Tom<\/p>\n PS. Why are we all so worried about Clark’s son at the moment –\u00a0and who is Clark anyway?<\/p>\n PPS. To all my good friends in the USA a spanner is the proper name for a wrench…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A friend of mine just asked the following question after hearing Richard Hammond make a comment. She said: “I think Hammond got it totally wrong when he gave a metaphor for a dragster suddenly swerving and crashing (a ‘moment’) as the difference between using a short-handled, smaller spanner to using a longer-handled, bigger spanner to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p79TdE-BD","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2361,"url":"http:\/\/tomdenton.org\/blog\/?p=2361","url_meta":{"origin":2333,"position":0},"title":"IMI free vehicle diagnostics eLearning resources","author":"Tom Denton","date":"April 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"IMI has launched a series of online vehicle diagnostics training modules, funded by digital solutions charity Jisc. The resources will be free to access through the IMI\u2019s eLearning platform, acquired in 2014 by the IMI. They are aimed at individuals with a background in car maintenance and level 3 qualifications,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Automotive"","block_context":{"text":"Automotive","link":"http:\/\/tomdenton.org\/blog\/?cat=15"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":261,"url":"http:\/\/tomdenton.org\/blog\/?p=261","url_meta":{"origin":2333,"position":1},"title":"Hybrid and EV Developments","author":"Tom Denton","date":"June 29, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"AZD\u2019s next-gen hybrid and EV systems will bring innovations, lower cost 24-Jun-2010 20:45 GMT AZD's new technologies being prepared for 2012-13 will leverage learnings gained from developing the electric drivetrain for Ford's 2011 Transit Connect EV (shown). The vehicle will arrive in the U.S. as a glider from Ford's Turkey\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Automotive"","block_context":{"text":"Automotive","link":"http:\/\/tomdenton.org\/blog\/?cat=15"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2573,"url":"http:\/\/tomdenton.org\/blog\/?p=2573","url_meta":{"origin":2333,"position":2},"title":"AI in self-driving cars \u2013 sci-fi no longer","author":"Tom Denton","date":"March 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Intelligent machines powered by artificial intelligence (AI) computers that can learn, reason and interact with people and the surrounding world are no longer science fiction. Thanks to a new computing model called deep learning using powerful graphics processing units (GPUs), AI is transforming industries from consumer cloud services to healthcare\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Automated driving"","block_context":{"text":"Automated driving","link":"http:\/\/tomdenton.org\/blog\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":925,"url":"http:\/\/tomdenton.org\/blog\/?p=925","url_meta":{"origin":2333,"position":3},"title":"Advanced Automotive Fault Diagnosis","author":"Tom Denton","date":"March 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"(New book out in a few months\u2026) Six-stages of fault diagnosis When a customer reports a fault here is a process to follow: 1. Verify: Is there actually a problem, confirm the symptoms 2. Collect: Get further information about the problem 3. Evaluate: Stop and think about the evidence 4.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3173,"url":"http:\/\/tomdenton.org\/blog\/?p=3173","url_meta":{"origin":2333,"position":4},"title":"Volvo Cars initiates first ever over-the-air software update on XC40 Recharge","author":"Tom Denton","date":"February 26, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Volvo Cars is rolling out its first ever over-the-air (OTA) software update on the XC40 Recharge, the company\u2019s first fully electric car. Starting soon, XC40 Recharge drivers in Europe will receive a range of updates, including new features and improvements to the car\u2019s infotainment and propulsion systems. The introduction of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Automotive"","block_context":{"text":"Automotive","link":"http:\/\/tomdenton.org\/blog\/?cat=15"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomdenton.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/otaVolvo.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomdenton.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/otaVolvo.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomdenton.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/otaVolvo.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1209,"url":"http:\/\/tomdenton.org\/blog\/?p=1209","url_meta":{"origin":2333,"position":5},"title":"Recharge an EV in a few minutes","author":"Tom Denton","date":"August 12, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I read about a new battery technology the other day, which I think could be an important part of the future for EVs. Clearly the problem with most EVs is range because if you run out of power then it can take several hours to recharge. 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