Plan the investigation
What students will do
Start with a guided comparison, then plan an investigation, analyze a graph, and check a prediction.
- Compare accelerations. Measure the rider’s normal force for upward, zero, and downward acceleration. Compare each reading with gravitational weight.
- Design and collect. Choose at least five elevator accelerations while keeping rider mass fixed. Plan matching acceleration and force readings.
- Analyze a graph. Fit normal force versus vertical acceleration. Use slope and intercept to determine rider mass and weight.
- Explain and predict. Distinguish motion direction from acceleration, then predict and test normal force at an unused acceleration.
What students will learn
- Distinguish apparent weight from gravitational weight.
- Use vertical force balance to explain a scale reading.
- Interpret a graph’s slope and intercept as physical quantities.
Common misconception
Does moving upward always make a rider feel heavier?
The support force depends on acceleration, so velocity direction alone does not determine apparent weight.