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A 53kg woman in an elevator is accelerating upward at a rate of 2.8 m/s². What is the normal force pushing upward on the woman’s feet?

a) 530 N
b) 370 N
c) 640 N
d) 760 N

User Sushivam
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Using Newton's second law, the normal force on the woman's feet is calculated to be approximately 668.8 N, which does not match any of the provided multiple-choice options, suggesting there may be a mistake in the question or answer choices.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question relates to Newton's second law of motion and the concept of normal force in a non-inertial reference frame, specifically an accelerating elevator. To calculate the normal force acting on the woman's feet, we can use the following formula:

\( F_{\text{net}} = ma \)

Here \( F_{\text{net}} \) represents the net force acting on the woman, \( m \) is the mass of the woman, and \( a \) is the acceleration of the elevator. The net force is the sum of the gravitational force (weight) and the normal force exerted by the elevator floor. Let's calculate:

\( F_{\text{net}} = ma = mg + F_{\text{normal}} \)

where \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s\(^{2}\)).

Plugging in the given values:

\( 53 \text{kg} \times (9.8 + 2.8) \text{m/s}^2 \)

Which equals:

\( 53 \text{kg} \times 12.6 \text{m/s}^2 = 668.8 \text{N}\)

Therefore, the normal force pushing upward on the woman's feet is approximately 668.8 N, which is not listed among the options provided. Hence, one might suspect that the options are incorrect or there has been a typo or mistake in the question or answer choices.

User Hoylen
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