Do you weigh less in an elevator going down?

The normal force is equal to your apparent weight. So, you actually feel a little heavier than usual when the elevator accelerates upward, and lighter than usual when the acceleration is down. In more extreme situations this is much more obvious.

Also, why does weight decrease in elevator?

In a moving lift, the weight of an object changes because the value of g changes to, say, g'' because of the acceleration of the elevator. Here the aceleration of the elevator becomes equal to the object placed in it.

Similarly, what will the scale read when the elevator is accelerating downward? The inertia of the person would prefer to keep moving downward at the constant speed, so the elevator floor and scale must push up on the person to accelerate him upward, slowing him down. Therefore the Normal Force is larger, so the reading on the scale is a number that is GREATER than the true weight.

Consequently, does your weight change in a lift?

The simplest answer to the question of whether your weight changes when you ride in a lift is 'no'. Your weight, being the force with which the Earth pulls down upon you due to gravity, does not vary with speed or acceleration. It does, however, feel like your weight changes when you ride in a lift.

What is your weight in free fall?

A freely falling object has weight W=mg, where W-weight, m-mass of the object and g-acceleration produced due to the earth's gravity. This happens because the normal reaction force exerted on the object in the lift is equal to zero, and normal force equals to mg, which in turn equals the weight of the object.

39 Related Question Answers Found

Are you heavier in an elevator?

The normal force is equal to your apparent weight. So, you actually feel a little heavier than usual when the elevator accelerates upward, and lighter than usual when the acceleration is down. The normal force applied by the seat on you is less than mg at the top and larger than mg at the bottom.

Why does body weigh less on the moon?

A: Our weight on moon is less than it would be on Earth due to a difference of the strength of gravity on the moon. The moon's gravitation force is determined by the mass and the size of the moon. This means that if you went to the moon you would weigh less, even though your mass stays the same!

What is negative acceleration?

Negative acceleration, otherwise known as deceleration, is the phenomenon of some object's velocity decreasing over time at a steady rate. For example, consider an object “A” traveling at a constant velocity of 3 meters per second in the positive “x” direction.

How does acceleration affect weight?

Weight is the mass multiplied by acceleration due to gravity. Down to the question: the more massive an object, the bigger the force, so the bigger the acceleration, right? No, because when an object is more massive, the object accelerates slower.

What are the types of forces?

Basically, there are two types of forces, contact forces, and non-contact forces. Gravitational force, electric force, magnetic force, nuclear force, frictional force are some examples of force.

Why do we float in a falling elevator?

There actually are simple It is true that everything in a falling elevator will float. The forces that are in play are - one, the gravitational force on you (mg) in downward direction and the push of the elevator floor on you in upward direction (let us call this “W”).

Why do we feel weightless in freefall?

Earth-orbiting astronauts are weightless for the same reasons that riders of a free-falling amusement park ride or a free-falling elevator are weightless. They are weightless because there is no external contact force pushing or pulling upon their body. In each case, gravity is the only force acting upon their body.

How fast can an elevator accelerate?

The elevators will rocket from the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre's first floor to its 95th in about 43 seconds. At their fastest they will reach 45 miles per hour — 15 miles per hour over New York City's speed limit. In comparison, the average elevator only moves at about 5 to 22 miles per hour.

What happens if lift is less than weight?

Assuming a straight and level flight, lift must be equal to weight and drag must be equal to thrust. This is what happens if this equilibrium is violated: If the weight is greater than the lift, then the plane will accelerate downward. When the thrust becomes greater than the drag, the plane will accelerate forward.

How do you feel weightless?

To create the sensation of weightlessness, the pilot sets thrust equal to drag and eliminates lift. At this point, the only unbalanced force acting on the plane is weight, so the plane and its passengers are in free fall. This is what creates the zero-g experience.

What is the difference between mass and weight?

The terms "mass" and "weight" are used interchangeably in ordinary conversation, but the two words don't mean the same thing. The difference between mass and weight is that mass is the amount of matter in a material, while weight is a measure of how the force of gravity acts upon that mass.

What happens if the elevator cable breaks?

So when an electric motor rotates the sheave, the cables move, too. The cables that lift the car are also connected to a counterweight, which hangs down on the other side of the sheave. Even if one cable snapped, the remaining cables would hold the elevator car up. In fact, just one cable is usually enough.

How do I calculate normal force?

The weight of an object equals the mass of the object multiplied by the acceleration of gravity. Multiply the two values together. In order to find the normal force, you need to multiply the weight of the object by the cosine of the angle of incline.

How can I calculate weight?

The weight of an object is defined as the force of gravity on the object and may be calculated as the mass times the acceleration of gravity, w = mg. Since the weight is a force, its SI unit is the newton.

When you are moving up at constant speed in an elevator?

when you are moving up at constant speed in an elevator, there are two forces acting on you: the floor pushes up on you (F1) and gravity pulls down on you (F2).

What do you mean by acceleration?

The definition of acceleration is: Acceleration is a vector quantity that is defined as the rate at which an object changes its velocity. An object is accelerating if it is changing its velocity.

What happens to the reading on the scale when the elevator stops moving?

If the elevator is stopped, the scale reads what you would expect it to read, your weight in an elevator. The same is true when the elevator is moving at a constant velocity. There elevator is in equilibrium. You may notice that when the elevator begins to move, your weight seems to change.