Elevator

Definition

An elevator is a platform or compartment housed in a shaft for raising and lowering people or things to different floors or levels. In physics, it is often used as an example to illustrate the application of Newton's laws of motion.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Elevators provide a practical scenario to understand normal force and apparent weight.
2. When an elevator accelerates upwards, the apparent weight of a person inside increases.
3. When an elevator accelerates downwards, the apparent weight of a person inside decreases.
4. At constant velocity (either upwards or downwards), the normal force equals the gravitational force acting on a person.
5. Free-body diagrams are essential tools for solving problems involving elevators.

Review Questions

• How does the apparent weight change when an elevator accelerates upwards?
• What happens to the normal force acting on a person when an elevator moves at constant velocity?
• Why are free-body diagrams useful in explaining the forces within an accelerating elevator?

Related terms

Normal Force:

The perpendicular contact force exerted by a surface on another object.

Apparent Weight:

The normal force exerted on an object, often perceived as weight by the object itself.

Free-Body Diagram:

\text{A graphical representation used to visualize all the forces acting on a single object.}