🔍 Key Concepts

• Radial vs. axial directions on a rotating shaft • How bearings support side (transverse) loads versus end (thrust) loads • Visualizing forces using the shaft’s axis as a reference line

💭 Think About

• If you imagine the shaft as a straight line through space, what does it mean for a force to act along that line versus across it? • Think about a wheel on an axle: which direction is the weight of the vehicle acting on the axle, and is that considered radial or axial? • Which option best describes a load that would try to bend the shaft rather than push or pull it lengthwise?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which choice describes a load along the axis of the shaft — that is typically an axial (thrust) load, not radial. • Look for the option that clearly describes a load acting across / outward from the center of the shaft, relative to its axis. • Eliminate any answer that mixes perpendicular and parallel directions together, since radial and axial are usually treated as distinct types of load.