Question

A 84.5-kg person stands on a scale in an elevator. What is the apparent weight when the elevator is (a) accelerating upward with an acceleration of 1.93 m/s 2, (b) moving upward at a constant speed, and (c) accelerating downward with an acceleration of 1.57 m/s2?

Answer 1

Weight is Mass (m) x acceleration due to gravity (g). W=mg So,to get back to mass, divde the weight by g.

84.5/9.81= ?kg

Now adjust the value for g for when the elevator is going up or down (add or subtract the elevator velocity)and multiply it by the mass you calculated.

When the elevator is in constant motion (not accelerating) the scale should show 84.5kg.

Answer 2

force =mass(M)* acceleration(A).