Question

An elevator weighing 2.00 x 10 5 N is supported by a steel cable. What is the tension in the cable when the elevator is accelerated upward at a rate of 3.00 m/s2? (g = 9.81 m/s2 ) Show your work.

Answer 1

First, we will get the mass of the elevator:
Fw = mass * gravitational acceleration
2 * 10^5 = mass * 9.8
mass = 20.4 * 10^3 kg

Now, the total force acting on the elevator can be written as follows:
Fnet = Tension - Fw
mass * acceleration = Tension - 2*10^5
20.4 * 10^3 * 3 = Tension - 2*10^5
61200 = Tension - 2*10^5
Tension = (61200) + (2*10^5)
Tension = 2.61 * 10^5 newton