How Does Elevator Acceleration Affect Spring Extension?

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    Elevator Spring
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In the discussion, a 1.6kg mass suspended in a stationary elevator stretches a spring by 12cm, and when the elevator accelerates upward, the spring extends an additional 12cm. Participants emphasize the importance of showing attempted solutions to receive help, particularly in understanding the effects of acceleration on spring extension. The equivalence principle is highlighted, suggesting that upward acceleration creates an additional gravitational effect that elongates the spring. A free-body diagram and application of Newton's second law are recommended to analyze the forces involved. Overall, the conversation focuses on solving the problem of determining the elevator's acceleration based on spring extension.
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A 1.6kg mass is suspended from a string in a stationary elevator. The spring stretches 12cm. The elevator now accelerates upward, and the spring extends a further 12cm. What is the acceleration in the elevator?
 
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You should show you tried at least to solve the problem if you want an answer... if we know where you have the problem, we can help you understand it
 
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tia89 said:
You should show you tried at least to solve the problem if you want an answer... if we know where you have the problem, we can help you understand it

I tried to solve it, but I'm not succeeding. So far I have managed to calculate the force constant of the spring, but I don't know what to do next
 
Ok then, if you now have the force constant of the spring you can pass to the accelerated elevator case... what happens when you observe an accelerated frame? Remember the equivalence principle, stating that an acceleration in one direction is equivalent to an additional gravitational field in the opposite direction... which "apparent" gravitational field do you need to elongate the spring further? How do you balance all the forces to be stationary again?
 
nubshat said:
I tried to solve it, but I'm not succeeding. So far I have managed to calculate the force constant of the spring, but I don't know what to do next

Draw a free-body diagram for the mass and then use Newton 2.
 

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