A person who normally weighs 700 N is riding in a rather swift elevator that is moving at a constant speed of 9.8 m/s. If this person is standing on a bathroom scale inside the elevator, what would the scale read?

constant speed (NO acceleration) means that the scale reads their normal weight

700N

When the elevator is moving at a constant speed, the net force acting on the person inside the elevator is zero. Therefore, the scale reading will be equal to the person's actual weight, which is 700 N.

To determine what the bathroom scale would read for a person riding in a swift elevator, we need to consider the forces acting on the person.

The scale would read the normal force exerted by the person on the scale, which is equal to the weight of the person.

The weight of an object is given by the formula:

Weight = mass * acceleration due to gravity

In this case, the weight of the person is 700 N.

To find the mass of the person, we can rearrange the formula:

mass = weight / acceleration due to gravity

The acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.8 m/s².

So, the mass of the person would be:

mass = 700 N / 9.8 m/s²

mass ≈ 71.43 kg

Now, let's consider the forces acting on the person in the elevator. There are two main forces: the weight of the person acting downward, and the normal force exerted by the scale acting upward.

When the elevator is at a constant speed, the net force on the person is zero (since the person is not accelerating). This means that the upward normal force exerted by the scale must be equal in magnitude to the downward weight of the person.

Thus, the scale would read a normal force of 700 N.