Weight of Astronaut during Lift Off: 750N at 5g's Acceleration

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the weight of an astronaut during lift-off, given an actual weight of 750N and an acceleration of 5g's. The problem is situated within the context of physics, specifically focusing on forces and acceleration.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between weight and acceleration, questioning how to adjust the weight based on the upward acceleration of the spacecraft. There are attempts to apply Newton's second law (F=ma) and discussions about the astronaut's weight at zero acceleration versus during acceleration.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided hints and guidance regarding the relationship between weight and acceleration, while others express confusion about the calculations involved. Multiple interpretations of the problem are being explored, with no explicit consensus reached yet.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention challenges with similar problems involving acceleration, such as those related to elevators and pendulums, indicating a broader context of learning difficulties rather than a singular focus on this problem.

electricsound
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1. What is the weight of an astronaut during lift off, if his actual weight is 750N and the acceleration of the craft is 5g's.
The way I tried to solve it:
F=ma
F= 75(50)
But answers are not matching, as the answer should be 4500N.
I think I am missing something with that has to do with the upward acceleration...
 
Last edited:
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Hi electricsound! :smile:

Hint: what would his weight be if the acceleration of the craft was zero? :wink:
 
tiny-tim said:
Hi electricsound! :smile:

Hint: what would his weight be if the acceleration of the craft was zero? :wink:

At zero acceleration it would be 750N,
I cannot understand how to work out problems when acceleration is involved, even after consulting some worked examples in the book. For example problems which involve elevators and finding the weight of an object while accelerating, finding acceleration of a train using a pendulum suspended from the roof of a carriage... Bdw this is not homework, sorry if I mis placed this post, this is the problem I encountered during revision
 
electricsound said:
At zero acceleration it would be 750N,

ok, at 0g it's 750N, so at 5g it's … ? :smile:
 
I really have no idea how to work it out...
 
The weight is the reaction force …

find how many forces are there on the astronaut, then use Ftotal = ma :wink:
 
Thanks a lot mate:smile: I understood..
at a= 50ms^-2
W-750= 75(50)
W=3750+750
W=4500N

thanks again...
 

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