The term "torque," etymologically derived from the Latin verb "torquere," signifying "to twist," was initially proposed by James Thomson and first documented in print in April 1884. Its usage in scholarly literature was contemporaneously affirmed by Silvanus P. Thompson in the inaugural edition of "Dynamo-Electric Machinery."
Thompson's rationale for introducing the term was rooted in a conceptual alignment with the Newtonian definition of force, where force is understood as that which imparts or tends to impart translational motion (along a linear path). In a parallel manner, torque can be delineated as the influence responsible for inducing or predisposing an object to undergo rotational deformation, typically around a defined axis.
The adoption of the term "torque" was favored for its ability to encapsulate this mechanical phenomenon as a singular, well-defined entity, contrasting with the utilization of the terms "couple" and "moment," which might connote more intricate and multifaceted notions.
The concept of torque, embodying the idea of a twist applied to set a shaft in rotational motion, is considered a more apt representation than the notion of applying linear force or a pair of forces with specific leverage.
Presently, the nomenclature for torque varies depending on geographic location and field of study. This article adheres to the definition employed in the discipline of U.S. physics, wherein the term "torque" is predominantly used.
However, in the United Kingdom and in the field of U.S. mechanical engineering, torque is conventionally referred to as the "moment of force," often abbreviated as "moment." The historical origins of this terminology can be traced back to at least 1811 when Siméon Denis Poisson introduced the concept in his treatise "Traité de mécanique," with an English translation of Poisson's work published in 1842.
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