Question: A clever physics student is able to sneak a scale on a popular ride at

Question

Question: A clever physics student is able to sneak a scale on a popular ride at an amusement park. Before the ride begins to move, the scale reads 700 N for the student's weight. As the ride lifts, it initially accelerates upward at 3 m/s2. At the top, the riders are held in suspense before the gondola is allowed to free fall downward with acceleration equal to g. What should the scale read for the student's apparent weight during the lift and the fall?

Possible Answers:

Explanation / Answer

When the lift moves upward, then

Apparent weight = actual weight + ma.....(1)

Now, taking g = 10 m/s^2, we have, mass,m = W/g = 700/10 = 70 kg

So, from (1), we have, apparent weight

= (700+70×3) N

= 910 N

When it falls freely, a = g, so, apparent weight = 0

So, the option will be (C).

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