Ok so based on that (and the info i was given)... it looks like the elevator is heading downward, with the person's acceleration increasing in the - a_{y}j direction. Am I on the right track?
I'm a little rusty on my physics (i'm actually helping a friend here, its not my problem). Could you please explain a little more what you mean?
One more thing, calculus shouldn't be required for this problem, it just covers Newton's Laws (as you mentioned). I think I'm overlooking...
Here's the problem:
A person stands on a bathroom scale in a motionless elevator. When the elevator begins to move, the scale briefly reads only 0.75 of the person's regular weight. Calculate the acceleration of the elevator, and find the direction of acceleration.
I honestly don't know...