If the sun gear is the input member, the carrier is held, and the ring gear is the output member, what would be the result?

In a planetary gear system where the sun gear is the input member and the carrier is held stationary while the ring gear serves as the output member, the result is torque reduction. This configuration allows the planetary gears to create a mechanical advantage, which increases the output torque while reducing the speed of the output.

When the sun gear, which drives the system, turns, the planet gears rotate around the held carrier and then drive the ring gear. Since the carrier is stationary, the movement of the sun gear effectively multiplies the torque delivered to the ring gear. This setup decreases the output speed while increasing the torque, making it a torque multiplication scenario.

In contrast, direct drive would imply that there is no change in speed or torque conversion, while overdrive refers to a condition where the output speed is greater than the input speed, generally resulting in less torque. Reverse would involve a mechanical setup or configuration causing the output to rotate in the opposite direction, which is not the case here. Hence, the correct conclusion is that this configuration illustrates torque reduction.