@ould the elevator be moving up or down?

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    Elevator
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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving an elevator and the apparent weight of a student standing on a scale. The subject area includes concepts of forces, acceleration, and weight measurement in a non-inertial reference frame.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between the scale reading and the motion of the elevator, questioning whether the elevator is moving up or down based on the change in scale reading.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered insights into the mechanics of the situation, discussing how the scale reading reflects the forces acting on the student. Multiple interpretations of the scenario are being explored, particularly regarding the implications of the scale reading increasing.

Contextual Notes

There is an assumption that the scale reading is influenced by the elevator's acceleration, but the specific conditions of the problem, such as the direction of acceleration, are still under discussion.

elizabethR
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elevator ??

A 615 N student standing on a scale in an elevator notices that the scale reads 645 N. would the elevator be moving up or down?
 
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What do you think is the answer (and why)?
 
well i think that he would be moving down because the scale says he got heavier. i think that the force pushing down would make him seem heavier
 
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Last edited:
Not so. The elevator must either be accelerating up or down for his scale to show a different reading. The reading is nothing but the force the scale exerts on the person to keep him in place with respect to the elevator. Let's assume that the elevator is accelaratig down, then you can easily show from a free body diagram that the scale reading must decrease. Therefore he is accelerating up.
 

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