The only possible factor that can explain this change is the acceleration of the object – you. When the elevator (you) moves up – acceleration increases (adding on to the 9.8ms2 ) and there is more normal force applied to the floor. This results in a larger number on the scale.
What happens if you stand on a scale in an elevator?
If you stand on a scale in an elevator accelerating upward, you feel heavier because the elevator’s floor presses harder on your feet , and the scale will show a higher reading than when the elevator is at rest. ... The force exerted by the scale is known as apparent weight; it does not change with constant speed.
What does the bathroom scale read in an elevator?
The scale reads the Normal force , so it reports your weight as greater than it was at rest. The same two forces are at work as when the elevator was accelerating up. The scale will read the Normal force which is less than it was at rest.
When you stand on a bathroom scale what happens to the scale?
What happens when you stand with more of your weight on one foot than the other? Answer: In the first case, the reading on each scale is half your weight . In the second case, if you lean more on one scale than the other, more than half your weight will be read on that scale but less than half on the other.
How much would you weigh if you were standing on a scale in an elevator that was free falling?
The correct answer here is C. The reading on the scale would be less than the true weight of the person . If you were standing on the scale while the elevator was at rest, you would weigh your true weight. The scale would be pushing you upward (to keep you from falling) with a force equal to your true weight.
Why do we feel weightless in elevator?
we dint feel weightless when an elevator goes down, we feel light as due to the downward acceleration of elevator , the reaction force on us by elevator reduces and thus we feel lighter.
What is the apparent weight of a person when an elevator is accelerating downwards?
If the elevator accelerates downward, a is negative , and the apparent weight is less than the true weight. If the elevator falls freely, , and the apparent weight is zero. The apparent weight is zero because when both the person and the scale fall freely, they cannot push against one another.
Does your weight change in an elevator?
When the elevator is moving, we will weigh our normal weight . Since we are already moving at the same speed as the elevator (up or down), nothing is affecting us to change our weight. ... So for a short time, we are pushed into the floor more and our weight goes up. The same thing works when the elevator starts moving.
What would your bathroom scale read if?
What would your bathroom scale read if you weighed yourself on an inclined plane? ... If you weighed yourself on an incline plane that is inclined at angle theta, the bathroom scale would read the magnitude of the normal force between you and the plane , which would be Wcostheta.
Does your apparent weight change when you ride an elevator?
Your apparent weight does not change while riding in an elevator at constant velocity , but it does change while riding in an accelerating elevator. ... Your “apparent weight” equals the upward force on you exerted by the floor. If you are moving at constant velocity, your acceleration is zero.
What does the scale read during the acceleration?
The scale reads the Normal force , so it reports your weight as greater than it was at rest. The same two forces are at work as when the elevator was accelerating up. The scale will read the Normal force which is less than it was at rest.
How do you calculate apparent weight?
The apparent weight of an accelerating object is the vector sum of its real weight and the negative of all the forces that produce the object’s acceleration a = dv/dt. w apparent = w real – ma.
What does a scale read?
Scales measure how much something weighs —and they do it by measuring how much force exists between the object you’re weighing and planet Earth. Although scales measure force, they give you measurements of mass in kilograms, grams, pounds, or whatever.
What is the apparent weight of a person in free fall?
For the case of a body under free fall, the apparent weight of the body is Zero , which is explained below: The apparent weight of a body is the...
Why does a person feel weightlessness during free fall?
We weigh what we weigh and that doesn’t change when we jump out of an airplane. The reason we feel weightless is that we’re completely free of anything pushing or pulling on us . When we’re stood on the ground, the force of our feet on the ground and the ground against our feet is what makes us feel ‘weighted’.
Is upward acceleration positive or negative?
Any object affected only by gravity (a projectile or an object in free fall) has an acceleration of -9.81 m/s 2 , regardless of the direction. The acceleration is negative when going up because the speed is decreasing.
