Yes, the same way that you press harder against the seat in an accelerating vehicle.ual8658 said:But if the elevator is accelerating upwards, then do you exert an even greater force on the scale and the scale in turn exerts an even greater force back on you?
No, "your weight" pulls down on you. The 3rd Law opposite force to this is you pulling on the Earth.ual8658 said:In an elevator, your weight pushes down on say a scale.
That is another 3rd Law pair. Both are contact forces. None of them is weight. And they don't have to be equal to your weight.ual8658 said:That scale pushes back onto you with an equal and opposite force.
The force of gravity on your body is not equal to the force of the elevator on your body. The net is non-zero.ual8658 said:So then how is there a net force to force your body to accelerate in that situation?
Ok, so there is a net force upward because your weight is not as large as the the force of the scale on you. The force you exert on the scale as part of the 3rd law doesn't really matter right?jbriggs444 said:The force of gravity on your body is not equal to the force of the elevator on your body. The net is non-zero.
Right!ual8658 said:Ok, so there is a net force upward because your weight is not as large as the the force of the scale on you. The force you exert on the scale as part of the 3rd law doesn't really matter right?
Do not confuse the Third Law with notions of equilirium and the First Law. The third law is to do with the interaction between two objects and the conservation of Momentum. The First Law is to do with what happens to an object when subjected to one of more forces.ual8658 said:So then how is there a net force to force your body to accelerate in that situation?
Any downward force on the floor could affect the speed of ascent or descent but the whole machine is very inefficient (lots of friction) and the effect could be undetectable.ual8658 said:I see. Like I said I was overthinking, and the last thing I need to clear up is if you exert a force on that scale, what is stopping that scale from accelerating downwards? The force of the elevator floor? And the elevator is accelerating most likely through tension so that's why the scale doesn't move downwards right?
The Third Law of Motion, also known as Newton's Third Law, states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means that when an object exerts a force on another object, the second object will exert an equal and opposite force back.
In an elevator, the Third Law of Motion can be observed when the elevator starts or stops moving. When the elevator accelerates upwards, the floor of the elevator exerts an upward force on the feet of the person inside. At the same time, the person's feet exert an equal and opposite force on the floor. This allows the person to stay in place and not fall over. The same concept applies when the elevator decelerates downwards.
When the elevator accelerates upwards, the floor of the elevator exerts a normal force on the person inside. This force is equal and opposite to the force the person's feet exert on the floor. Since the normal force is in the opposite direction of gravity, it effectively increases the person's weight and makes them feel heavier.
When an elevator is at a constant speed, the forces inside are balanced. The floor of the elevator exerts a normal force on the person inside, but the person's feet also exert an equal and opposite force on the floor. This results in a net force of zero, causing the person to feel their normal weight.
The Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In an elevator, the weight of the people and objects inside is the action force. The reaction force is the force the elevator must exert on the people and objects to keep them from falling. If the weight exceeds the maximum capacity, the reaction force will be greater than the force the elevator can exert, causing it to malfunction or possibly even break.