Diagram shows two vertical shafts A B marked 1 and C D marked 2 centered on the x and x prime axes respectively. A gear of 150 millimeter diameter is at A on shaft 1 at a height of 400 millimeters. A gear of 100 millimeter diameter is at C on shaft 2 at a height of 400 millimeters. Above the gear A a torque T is applied on shaft 1 in the counterclockwise direction. There is an inward twist on the shafts 1 and 2. The section on gear A is theta subscript A pointing in the counterclockwise direction. The section on gear C is theta subscript C pointing in the clockwise direction.

Since the teeth on each gear must be the same size in order to mesh properly, the arclengths that are turned by the two gears must be equal in magnitude. The two gears, however, turn in opposite directions.

If we equate arclengths and account for the opposite rotation directions, we obtain:

where φA and φC are gear rotation angles.