Answer to Question #888 in Mechanics | Relativity for Gabby

Question

An elevator accelerates upward at 3 m/sec^2 for a brief time. A 500 N woman standing on bathroom scales notices the reading is not what she expected. What do the scales read?

Answer 1

The mass of the woman is
m = F/g = 500/10 = 50 kg.
The weight of the woman in the elevator would be
F* = m(a+g) = 50(10+3) = 650 N.
The scales read 650 N.