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Chapter 12: Problem 5

When you carry a bucket of water with one hand, you instinctively extend your opposite arm. Why?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Extending the opposite arm helps to shift our body鈥檚 centre of gravity and create a counter torque. This action counterbalances the torque created by the bucket's weight, which ensures rotational equilibrium and prevents us from falling over.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Torque and Centre of Gravity

To answer this question, it's essential to first understand what torque is in physics. Torque is a force that causes rotation. When carrying a bucket in one hand, the weight of the water creates a downward force, this force creates a torque around your feet (pivot point). The centre of gravity for your body plus the bucket is not directly above your feet but slightly to the side where the bucket is held. Therefore, a torque is created which tends to rotate your body in the direction of the bucket.
02

Understanding how the Body Reacts

In order to resist this rotation and maintain balance, one instinctively extends the opposite arm. The extended arm acts as a lever arm, and by shifting your centre of gravity, it creates a counterbalancing torque. This shift ensures that the overall torque on your body is zero, therefore maintaining rotational equilibrium, and you don鈥檛 spin or fall over.
03

Conclusion

So, extending the opposite arm while carrying a bucket of water with one hand is a way our bodies naturally respond to maintain balance. It is an instinctive reaction to counter the torque induced by the bucket's weight.

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