Question

A person of mass 65 kg is standing in a lift of mass 400 kg, which is accelerating upwards at 0.6m*s² Draw a diagram to show the forces acting on the lift and calculate their respective values.

Answer 1

When a person is standing in a lift that is accelerating upwards, the forces acting on the lift include the weight of the lift, the force due to the person's weight, and the tension force.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a person is standing in a lift that is accelerating upwards, there are several forces acting on the lift. These forces include:

1. Weight of the lift: This force acts downwards and is equal to the mass of the lift multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity (400 kg * 9.8 m/s²).
2. Normal force: Also acting downwards, this force is equal to the weight of the person standing in the lift (65 kg * 9.8 m/s²).
3. Tension force: The cable supporting the lift exerts an equal and opposite force upwards, which is equal to the total force required to accelerate the lift and its contents (mass of the lift + mass of the person * acceleration).

To calculate the magnitudes of these forces, we can use the following equations:

• Weight of the lift: Flift = mlift * g
• Force due to the person's weight: Fperson = mperson * g
• Tension force: T = mlift * a + mperson * a

By substituting the given values into these equations, we can calculate the forces acting on the lift.