Question

A 75 kg person stands on a metric bathroom scale that reads in Newtons while in an elevator. The

elevator accelerates upward at 3 m/s/s. Determine the person's actual weight and the reading of the
scale under these conditions.

Answer 1

Answer: 735 N (actual), 960 N (accelerating up)

Step-by-step explanation:

Actual weight = W = mg = (75 kg)(9.8 m/s²) = 735 N

Scale reading = N (normal force acting on the person by the elevator) = mg + ma = 735 N + (75 kg)(3.0 m/s²) = 735 N + 225 N = 960 N

That's why you feel heavier when you are accelerating up in an elevator