(assuming the mass is evenly distributed)
BarrenPneuma: If you lift a ten pound object it requires 10 pounds of force to do so correct?
Technically it requires more than 10 to lift it, as exactly 10 would only counteract gravity but nothing more.
BarrenPneuma: How much force is required to lift it now from one end (5 feet from the centre)?
any force greater than 44452.05226 Newtons
BarrenPneuma: What formula is used to determine the force required?
-Torque1 = Torque2
BarrenPneuma: Is this formula complicated when an arm is outstretched?
Not on how much force is required to lift it, no. The only thing you care about is how much force is applied to the object.
BarrenPneuma: How does this impact the force required
None. The force on the object required will always be the same.
Assuming you're interested, outstretching your arms would require much more effort on your part. It's all about torque; the force on your hands will always be constant, but the greater the distance from the force to the pivot point(your shoulder/elbow/wrist) is, the greater the torque will be.
BarrenPneuma: Do you just calculate the length of the arm into the distance from the centre of the object?
The two systems are separate from each other. The art of physics is breaking down a complicated problem into smaller ones!
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