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#1 2006-09-27 06:37:16

yonski
Member
Registered: 2005-12-14
Posts: 67

A little motion problem

Hi there,
this is more of a physics question, but maybe someone out there can help.

"A body (not a dead body i hope) hangs from a spring-balance which is suspended from the ceiling of a lift. What is the mass of the body if the balance registers a reading of 70N when the lift has an upward acceleration of 4m/s^2? (g=10m/s^2)"

This has been bugging me all day but i can't seem to get the right answer. If anyone could run me through it i'd be very happy!

Thanks, Jon.


Student: "What's a corollary?"
Lecturer: "What's a corollary? It's like when a theorem has a child. And names it corollary."

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#2 2006-09-27 07:09:13

mathsyperson
Moderator
Registered: 2005-06-22
Posts: 4,900

Re: A little motion problem

As the lift is going upwards, this makes the body "heavier", and it is as if gravity is now 14ms-².

Force = mass x acceleration, and using the values we know this means that 70 = mass x 14.

This in turn means that the body weighs 70/14 = 5kg. As the values work out nicely like that, that's probably right. wink


Why did the vector cross the road?
It wanted to be normal.

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#3 2006-09-27 07:31:24

yonski
Member
Registered: 2005-12-14
Posts: 67

Re: A little motion problem

Okay, yeah, it makes sense when you put it like that. That is the right answer cos it's in the back of the book. I just couldn't understand why.

Thanks.


Student: "What's a corollary?"
Lecturer: "What's a corollary? It's like when a theorem has a child. And names it corollary."

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#4 2006-09-27 23:46:01

George,Y
Member
Registered: 2006-03-12
Posts: 1,379

Re: A little motion problem

Refer to Newton's Laws and you will get a through.


X'(y-Xβ)=0

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