They can also be used to increase or decrease speed. First, let's analyze gears and force. The term torque is applied to gearing when talking about force. Torque is a force that produces or tends to produce rotation. The other property we are interested in is speed.
Speed is the rate at which something travels a distance or length.
Below are several activities that will explain the basics of gearing. A few of the activities assume that students understand algebra and some trigonometry.