Answer:
Abdul has an apparent weight of 600 newtons.
Explanation:
The statement is incorrectly written. Its correct form is:
Abdul of mass 50 kg is standing in an elevator of his building. The elevator is moving upwards and is slowing down at a rate of 2.0 m/s2. What is Abdul's apparent weight? Use g = 10 m/s2.
According to the statement, we know that elevator and Abdul himself are moving upwards and decelerating, which means that Abdul feels a force from elevator is the same direction of his weight. From 2nd Newton's Law we find the following equation of equilibrium:
[tex]\Sigma F = F-m\cdot g = m\cdot a[/tex] (1)
Where:
[tex]F[/tex] - Apparent weight, measured in newtons.
[tex]m[/tex] - Mass of Abdul, measured in kilograms.
[tex]g[/tex] - Gravitational acceleration, measured in meters per square second.
[tex]a[/tex] - Net acceleration of the elevator-Abdul system, measured in meters per square second.
In (1) we clear the apparent weight:
[tex]F = m \cdot (a+g)[/tex]
If we know that [tex]m = 50\,kg[/tex], [tex]a = 2\,\frac{m}{s^{2}}[/tex] and [tex]g = 10\,\frac{m}{s^{2}}[/tex], we find that the apparent weight of Abdul is:
[tex]F = (50\,kg)\cdot \left(2\,\frac{m}{s^{2}}+10\,\frac{m}{s^{2}} \right)[/tex]
[tex]F = 600\,N[/tex]
Abdul has an apparent weight of 600 newtons.
