Originally posted by nitronewbie
LOL, solo - i have been involved in racing for almost 20 years, my father has been involved in racing for over 60 years. Trust me , this is something i know about.
Torque is measured with this formula: T = r x F = rF sin(0)
in other words, torque is the cross product between the distance vector and the force vector. Torque is a measure of how much a force is acting on an object causes that object to rotate.
To fully grasp the relationship between torque and acceleration, you will need to have a basic understanding of "moments of inertia"
You also have to understand newtons 2nd law: F tan = m a tan
If this is too advanced for you then think of it this way: Torque is a force that tends to rotate or turns things. Torque is measured (in the USA) in foot pounds. if a wrench is a foot long, and u put 200 pounds of force on it, u are generating 200 pound feet of torque. if u use a 2 foot wrench, u only need to put 100lbs on it. horsepwer can only be derived from a formula using torque as the variable. it IS NOT a measure related to the animal, the horse. the horsepower scale was designed by James Watt as a way of conveying his engines to the relative movement fo a horse drawn buggy. the final scale he came up with was T x D/Tm = HP. or torque x distance / time = hp. As u can see, to measure hp, u must first know torque, and yet hp has no bearing on the amount of torque an engine will produce. if u wish to see more on this subject, please respond, and i will send u some links to a couple of websites that may help.
Oh - and BTW - unless u weigh about 300lbs, u are not putting 240lb/ft of torque on that bicycle, buddy. And if u do weigh that much, then start drinkin some slim fast.