Question regarding the elevator acceleration resultant force

[950315]

Question regarding the "elevator" acceleration resultant force

Homework Statement

In the "elevator" case, when a man is standing on a weighing scale, and the elevator accelerate upwards, the resultant force acting on the man will be UPWARD force, and the man is feeling "HEAVIER". So here is my question. Since the resultant force acting on the man is UPWARD force, isn't the man suppose to feel "LIGHTER", since there is a UPWARD force "supporting" him. If I got the whole concept wrong, please explain to me with the correct concept, thanks in advance .

Homework Equations

none.

The Attempt at a Solution

been thinking for 2 hours and I just can't understand

 

[johnskills]

i don't get the question

 

[PhanthomJay]

The man 'feels' the contact force acting upward on him, the normal force. He does not 'feel' his own weight. If he was standing in a still elevator, he would feel the contact force acting on him, which is his weight in this case. If he jumped from a building, there would be no contact force at his feet, so even though he still has weight , he wouldn't feel any force acting on him, so that would make him feel very light, feeling like he had no weight at all, in a state of so called 'weightlessness", even though he always has weight. Don't confuse weight with normal forces.

 

[950315]

The man 'feels' the contact force acting upward on him, the normal force. He does not 'feel' his own weight. If he was standing in a still elevator, he would feel the contact force acting on him, which is his weight in this case. If he jumped from a building, there would be no contact force at his feet, so even though he still has weight , he wouldn't feel any force acting on him, so that would make him feel very light, feeling like he had no weight at all, in a state of so called 'weightlessness", even though he always has weight. Don't confuse weight with normal forces.

Thank you very much dude! this clear things up, thank you very much :)

 

[Nickie]

it.I can explain the concept of the resultant force acting on a person in an elevator during acceleration. The resultant force is the net force acting on an object, which is the sum of all the individual forces acting on that object. In this case, the person standing on the weighing scale in the elevator experiences two forces: their weight pulling them downwards and the normal force from the floor pushing them upwards.

When the elevator accelerates upwards, the normal force from the floor increases to match the weight of the person, resulting in a larger resultant force acting on the person. This increased resultant force is what makes the person feel "heavier" as they are being pushed onto the weighing scale with a greater force.

To answer your question, the person does not feel "lighter" despite the upward force supporting them because the resultant force is still greater than their weight. In order for them to feel "lighter", the resultant force would need to be less than their weight, which would happen if the elevator was accelerating downwards.

I hope this explanation helps clarify the concept for you. If you have any further questions, please let me know.