Torque is the force required to turn or rotate an object. Understanding torque can help engineers work with items ranging from a simple wrench all the way to the giant axles of industrial machinery. Knowing an axle's torque not only helps you know how to get it rotating, but can also give information regarding how easy or difficult it will be to stop an axle from rotating. Torque is described in "pound-feet" and by the formula "Torque = force x distance."
Convert units of weight to pounds and units of distance to feet.
Determine the force of the object moving the axle using an online calculator (See Resources).
Multiply the force by the length of lever rotating the axle.
