
Table of Contents
How do you solve an elevator problem in physics?

What forces act on an elevator going down?
The elevator’s free-body diagram has three forces, the force of gravity, a downward normal force from you, and an upward force from the tension in the cable holding the elevator. The combined system of you + elevator has two forces, a combined force of gravity and the tension in the cable.
Why do you feel lighter when an elevator goes down physics?
This can also make you feel lighter: when the elevator slows down, you need to slow down with it. But gravity is always pulling you down, so for you to slow down, the floor needs to push up on you less, so gravity can slow you down. Since the floor pushes on you less, you feel lighter.
How much force is needed to lift a 25 kg?
(Note: The weight of a 25-kg object is approximately 250 N; it takes 250 N to lift the object up.)
Do you weigh more going up or down in an elevator?
If you stand on a scale in an elevator accelerating upward, you feel heavier because the elevator’s floor presses harder on your feet, and the scale will show a higher reading than when the elevator is at rest. On the other hand, when the elevator accelerates downward, you feel lighter.
How does Newton’s second law apply to elevators?
This is an application of Newton’s second law to the forces felt in an elevator. If you are accelerating upward you feel heavier, and if you are accelerating downward you feel lighter. If the elevator cable broke, you would feel weightless since both you and the elevator would be accelerating downward at the same rate.
Does gravity affect elevators?
From Newton’s second law F=ma, acceleration requires a force proportional to mass. So when the elevator is accelerating upwards, it must not only oppose gravity but provide extra force for the upward acceleration.
When lift is going down with acceleration?
Case 2: If the lift is going down with acceleration a. Apparent weight, R = m( g โ a ). And as the lift accelerates downwards, the man’s apparent weight within it diminishes if a value increases and is more than g then the man’s apparent weight inside the lift is negative.
Why do we float in a falling elevator?
You’re right, gravity is pulling you down. But it’s pulling the floor of the elevator down too. And it pulls the floor of the elevator down with the same acceleration as it pulls you down. So you “float” because everywhere around you has the exact same acceleration of 9.81 m/s/s as you do.
Why is weight 0 during free fall?
This is the case during free fall. Neglecting air resistance, there are no other contact forces on a body during free fall and hence, its weight is zero. Also, in interplanetary space, though gravitational force from planets acts on a body. However, there are no contact forces on it and it feels weightless.
Why is there no gravity in free fall?
In Newtonian physics, free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. In the context of general relativity, where gravitation is reduced to a space-time curvature, a body in free fall has no force acting on it.
When the elevator cable breaks the elevator falls freely so your weight reading is?
There is still a downward gravitational force acting on you, but gravity is not felt as weight because there is no support force. So your weight is zero.
When an elevator is moving downward with a increasing speed the apparent weight of a body inside elevator?
The apparent weight of a body in an elevator moving with some downward acceleration is less than the actual weight of a body.
What will the scale read when the elevator is accelerating downward?
If the elevator accelerates downward, a is negative, and the apparent weight is less than the true weight. If the elevator falls freely, , and the apparent weight is zero.
What is the formula for calculating force?
It is summarized by the equation: Force (N) = mass (kg) ร acceleration (m/sยฒ). Thus, an object of constant mass accelerates in proportion to the force applied.
How do you calculate the force required to lift an object?
- Step 1: Given data: To lift an object of mass (m) is 10 kg. Step 2: Formula used: F = mg.
- Step 2: Formula used: F = mg. F is force. m is the mass of the object.
- Step 3: Calculate the force required to lift an object: By substituting the values in the above formula, we get. F = 10 ร 9 .8 = 98 N.
How do u calculate force?
What is the formula for force? The force formula is defined by Newton’s second law of motion: Force exerted by an object equals mass times acceleration of that object: F = m โจ a. To use this formula, you need to use SI units: Newtons for force, kilograms for mass, and meters per second squared for acceleration.
What happens to G in elevator?
Gravity exerts mg downward, so floor must exert a normal force mg+ma=m(g+a) upwards, to cancel gravity and have enough left over to accelerate the object upward. Elevator acceleration =a downward, so Object Acceleration =a downward, and Total Force =ma downward.
What is the apparent weight felt by a person in an elevator?
R = m(g – g) = 0. Thus, the apparent weight of the man becomes zero. This is because both the man and the lift are moving downwards with same acceleration ‘g’ and so there are no forces of action and reaction between the person and the lift.
How do you calculate the weight of an elevator moving?

How do you find the tension of an elevator moving up?
When lift goes upward, then total tension equals to the sum of weight and force due to acceleration. When lift goes downward, then total tension equals the difference of weight and force due to acceleration.
How does elevator algorithm work?
The elevator algorithm is a simple algorithm by which a single elevator can decide where to stop, is summarized as follows: Continue traveling in the same direction while there are remaining requests in that same direction.
What is the acceleration of the elevator?
1.5 m/s2. Ervin Siney Ferry General Physics and its application to industry and everyday life, 1921. “A elevator starts to descend with an acceleration of 3 m per sec in a sec.”
What would happen if an elevator fell?
Most likely, a falling elevator won’t be totally unobstructed. But if it was, you would get to experience weightlessness for a few seconds before being crushed like a bug. Because what happens to your fragile body in a falling elevator can’t be undone by any “tricks” like jumping at the last second.