A person of mass stands on a scale inside an elevator
PHYSICS · Multi-part · AP · Physics 1: Algebra-based · Force and Translational Dynamics · Force and Translational Dynamics
Problem
A person of mass 60kg stands on a scale inside an elevator. At a certain moment the scale reading is 540N.
(1) Part 1: (a) Determine the magnitude and direction of the elevator’s acceleration at that instant. Show all work leading to your answer.
(2) Part 2: (b) If the elevator cable suddenly snapped at that instant, what reading would the scale display while the elevator and passenger are in free fall? Explain your reasoning.
(3) Part 3: (c) Immediately after the elevator begins free fall, the passenger momentarily jumps upward relative to the elevator floor. Qualitatively describe how, if at all, this action changes the scale reading during the free-fall interval.