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History

couple, in mechanics, pair of equal parallel forces that are opposite in direction. The only effect of a couple is to produce or prevent the turning of a body. The turning effect, or moment, of a couple is measured by the product of the magnitude of either force and the perpendicular distance between the action lines of the forces.

The steering wheel of an automobile is turned by hand forces that constitute a couple, and a screwdriver is twisted by the equivalent of a couple. A wrench, on the other hand, is actuated by a force applied at one end only, and, in addition to the turning moment, it creates an unbalanced force on the element being tightened.