A person is standing in an elevator. The situation in which he finds h...
Reason: Newton's third law of motion. If a body exerts a force on another, there is an equal and opposite force called a reaction on the first body by the second. In Downward moving elevator (with a uniform acceleration), the man experiences an upward force. This reduces his weight.
In case of uniform velocity, Force= mass x acceleration is zero since acceleration is zero.
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A person is standing in an elevator. The situation in which he finds h...
Explanation:
When a person is standing in an elevator, the apparent weight that they feel can be different from their actual weight due to the motion of the elevator. The apparent weight is the force exerted by the person on the scale, which is equal to the actual weight if there is no motion or acceleration.
The force acting on the person in an elevator can be broken down into two components:
1. Weight: The force exerted by gravity on the person, given by the equation W = mg, where m is the mass of the person and g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s²).
2. Normal Force: The force exerted by the scale on the person, which is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the weight. It acts as a support force to counteract the weight.
Effect of Elevator Motion:
Now, let's consider the different elevator motions and their effects on the apparent weight of the person:
a) The elevator moves upward with uniform velocity:
In this case, the person experiences a normal force equal to their weight (mg) because there is no additional acceleration acting on them. So, the apparent weight remains the same as the actual weight.
b) The elevator moves downward with constant acceleration:
When the elevator accelerates downward, the person experiences a greater normal force than their weight. This is because the acceleration of the elevator adds to the force of gravity, resulting in a net force greater than the person's weight. As a result, the person feels heavier, and their apparent weight is greater than their actual weight.
c) The elevator moves downward with uniform velocity:
Similar to the case of upward uniform velocity, when the elevator moves downward with uniform velocity, the person experiences a normal force equal to their weight (mg). So, the apparent weight remains the same as the actual weight.
d) The elevator moves upward with constant acceleration:
When the elevator accelerates upward, the person experiences a smaller normal force than their weight. This is because the acceleration of the elevator partially cancels out the force of gravity, resulting in a net force less than the person's weight. As a result, the person feels lighter, and their apparent weight is less than their actual weight.
Conclusion:
Therefore, the situation in which a person finds their weight less than actual is when the elevator moves downward with constant acceleration (option B). In this case, the acceleration of the elevator adds to the force of gravity, resulting in a greater net force and a heavier apparent weight for the person.