You are standing on a scale inside an elevator. The scale reads 62 percent of yo

Question

You are standing on a scale inside an elevator. The scale reads 62 percent of your weight. What is the acceleration of the elevator?
(Define positive y upward.)

(Practice how to properly work this out. Start with a scetch of the situation. Then draw a proper force diagram, aka free-body diagram. Apply Newton's Law and find the answer. Practice how to explain all your steps along the way; what you are doing and why; explain why you are drawing the diagram the way you do. Finally, evaluate your answer.)

Explanation / Answer

1) Since the scale is reading less than your normal weight, you must be decending.
Let your weight = m g
where m = your mass (Kg); g = acceleration due to gravity (m/s^2)

Since you are decending, then we can say

mg - ma = 0.62 mg
where mg = your normal weight; ma = the reduction in your weight due to the downward acceleration of the elevator.

So

g - a = 0.62 g

g - 0.62g = a

a = 0.38 g

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