Question

Terry is standing in an elevator on a scale. At one point in the elevator ride, he measures that his apparent weight is 924 N. His actual weight is 892 N. Which of the following best describes the motion of the elevator?

a) The elevator is accelerating upward.
b) The elevator is accelerating downward.
c) The elevator is moving at a constant velocity upward.
d) The elevator is moving at a constant velocity downward.

Answer 1

The elevator is accelerating upward.

Step-by-step explanation:

The scale reading in the elevator is greater than the person's weight, indicating that the scale is pushing up on the person with a force greater than their weight. This means that the elevator is accelerating upward. The greater the acceleration of the elevator, the greater the scale reading. When the elevator reaches a constant upward velocity, the scale reading will still be greater than the person's weight.

Answer 2

The elevator is accelerating upward. The scale reading in the elevator is greater than Terry's actual weight, which means that the scale is pushing up on him with a force greater than his weight. When the elevator reaches a constant upward velocity, the scale reading will still be greater than his weight.

Step-by-step explanation:

The elevator is accelerating upward. The scale reading in the elevator is greater than Terry's actual weight, which means that the scale is pushing up on him with a force greater than his weight. This is consistent with the concept of apparent weight, which is affected by the acceleration of the elevator. When the elevator reaches a constant upward velocity, the scale reading will still be greater than his weight because the elevator is still accelerating.