ELEVATOR LAB PROCEDURE

MATERIALS NEEDED:
Access to an elevator
Bathroom scale

TASK:
Ride in an elevator while standing on a bathroom scale. As you’re riding, observe how the
scale reading changes. Based on your observations, make a quantitative model for the
forces and motion of yourself (i.e. YOU are the object) during your trip down to the
basement, and your trip back up to the second floor.

PROCEDURE:
Take a video of the trip from the second floor to the basement. Start recording before the
button is pushed for the basement, and continue recording until the door opens. Take a
second video of the trip from the basement back up to the second floor. Start recording
before the button is pushed for the second floor and continue recording until the door
opens. From your video, determine the scale reading for each point along the trip as
identified below.

TRIP FROM THE SECOND FLOOR TO THE BASEMENT:

1. Before the elevator begins to move downward
2. During the initial motion downward, when your stomach “feels funny”
3. During the middle of the ride to the basement, when your stomach no longer “feels
funny”
4. As you are approaching your destination to the basement and your stomach “feels
funny” again
5. After you’ve reached your destination to the basement and the elevator has
stopped moving

TRIP FROM THE BASEMENT TO THE SECOND FLOOR:

6. Before the elevator begins to move upward
7. During the initial motion upward, when your stomach “feels funny”
8. During the middle of the ride to the second floor, when your stomach no longer
“feels funny”
9. As you are approaching your destination on the second floor and your stomach
“feels funny” again
10. After you’ve reached your destination on the second floor and the elevator has
stopped moving

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 ELEVATOR LAB REPORT REQUIREMENTS

I. TITLE PAGE
Lab title and lab group members

II. PRELAB
Define and explain what the difference is between weight and apparent weight. Explain
how this relates to the expected scale readings in the elevator.

III. PROCEDURE
None required

IV. DATA/GRAPHS
Include the following data for the ten scale readings. This should be easy to follow.
1. scale reading(lbs)
2. scale reading converted from lbs to Newtons(N).
3. net force(N)
4. acceleration(m/s2)

V. CALCULATIONS
One sample calculation showing the factor label process converting your scale readings
from lbs into N. (1.00 lb = 4.45 N)
A calculation for the mass of the person standing on the scale.
Ten calculations for Fnet
Ten calculations for acceleration

VI. MODEL
Your model needs to include the following representations:
ten quantitative force diagrams for the ten scale readings
two qualitative motion diagrams: one for going down from the second floor down to the
basement, one for going up from the basement to the second floor.

VII. CONCLUSION
Explain your model. Make sure you thoroughly explain the relationship between the forces
being exerted on you, and the resulting motion. In other words, relate the force diagrams
to the motion diagrams.

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