what is torque in physics

Torque in physics is a measure of the force that can cause an object to rotate about an axis. It is the rotational analogue of linear force and is also referred to as the moment of force. Just as force causes linear acceleration, torque causes angular acceleration. Torque is a vector quantity, and its magnitude is calculated as the product of the magnitude of the perpendicular component of the force and the distance from the point around which it is being determined. Mathematically, torque is defined as $\Gamma = r \times F = rF \sin (\theta)$, where $r$ is the moment arm or lever arm, $F$ is the force, and $\theta$ is the angle between $r$ and $F$