Question

The elevator of mass 1004 kg was initially at rest. The cable that was holding the elevator suddenly broke, so that the elevator car is now on free fall. It was at a height 43 m. When it lands on the platform of a shock absorber, the platform sinks below ground floor, screeching to a halt with metal claws out against the elevator shaft. When the shock absorber is compressed a distance 1.2 m below ground.

Answer 1

The student's question involves using principles of classical mechanics to analyze an elevator of mass 1004 kg in free fall and the forces involved when it stops with a shock absorber after a 43-meter drop.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question describes a situation where an elevator of mass 1004 kg, initially at rest, begins to free fall after its supporting cable breaks. It falls from a height of 43 meters and comes to a stop after compressing a shock absorber by a distance of 1.2 meters. To analyze this problem, we would apply principles of classical mechanics, specifically the conservation of energy and kinematics, to determine various aspects of the fall, such as the velocity upon impact and the forces involved during the deceleration caused by the shock absorber.