Question

A person is sitting in a lift accelerating upwards. The measured weight of a person will be

• A. Less then actual weight
• B. Equal to actual weight
• C. More than actual weight
• D. None of the above

Answer 1

The correct option is C

More than actual weight

Step 1. Given Data:

A person is sitting in a lift accelerating upwards.

Step 2. Find the weight of the person:

Let the mass be $m$ and gravity be $g$,

When the lift is accelerating upwards with an acceleration $a$, then normal reaction $T$ will act in an upward direction hence the actual weight $mg$ will be deduced from normal reaction,

$T-mg=ma$

$\Rightarrow$ $T=mg+ma$

$\Rightarrow$ $T=m\left(g+a\right)$

Therefore, the apparent weight is more than the actual weight.

Hence, the correct option is (C).