Answer:
b) the second at the doorknob.
Explanation:
The torque applied by a force is given by the equation
[tex]\tau = F_p d[/tex]
where
[tex]\tau[/tex] is the torque
[tex]F_p[/tex] is the component of the force perpendicular to the direction between the axis of rotation and the point of application of the force
d is the arm (the distance between the axis of rotation and the point of application of the force)
In this problem, we have two equal forces F both applied perpendicular to a door, so
[tex]F_p = F[/tex]
The first force is applied at the midpoint of the door; if we call L the width of the door, then the arm of this force is [tex]d_1=\frac{L}{2}[/tex], so the torque applied by this first force is
[tex]\tau_1 = F\frac{L}{2}[/tex]
The 2nd force instead is applied at the doorknob, so the arm in this case is L:
d = L
So, the torque exerted by the second force is
[tex]\tau_2 = FL[/tex]
Therefore, we see that the 2nd force exerts a greater torque.