A meter stick has been connected to a vertical rod at a point 10cm from one end, has a mass hanging from it at its center (50cm mark), and has a wire connected to a point 10cm from the other end which is tied to a force sensor connected to the top of the vertical rod. The mass of the meter stick is 143 grams. The mass m of the hanging mass for your trial run of this experiment is given below. The Force Sensor readout for your trial run of the experiment is displayed below. The angle measurements for angle 1 and angle 2 as indicated in the diagram are also listed below for your trial run of the experiment. Your task is to verify that all of the torques acting upon the meter stick combine to equal zero net torque, as per Newton's Second Law for an object in static equilibrium.
Each new load or refresh of this page will produce a different set of values so every student will have their own unique results. Small variations in data readout are included, accounting for the slight inconsistencies and irregularties you might typically see in the physical version of this experiment. As such your final results may not calculate to precisely zero net torque, but should produce a very small net torque for which it would be reasonable to state as "zero net torque" in an ideal situation.
Note all values for your trial run of this experiment setup in your lab data. Remember that you must assign a coordinate system direction for the direction of rotation of torques (positive and negative rotational directions). Also recall that the torque is the lever arm distance at which a force is acting measured from the pivot point (center of rotation) times the perpendicular component of the force acting at that distance. Angles 1 and 2 provide sufficient information for you to determine the perpendicular component of all three forces present: the force due to gravity acting on the hanging mass, the force due to gravity acting on the center of mass of the meter stick, the tension force pulling on the wire as given by the force sensor readout.