Question

question 3
a hat is placed on a digital scale which is initially at rest. then a student picks up the scale
with the hat on it and accelerates the scale downwards. while this happens the reading on
the scale will....
o increase
o remain the same
decrease
previous
not saved submit quiz

Explanation:

When the scale is accelerated downwards, the normal force acting on the hat (which is what the scale measures) decreases. According to Newton's second law \(F = ma\), if the acceleration \(a\) is downwards (\(a>0\) in the downward direction), the normal force \(N\) (scale reading) satisfies \(mg - N=ma\) (where \(m\) is the mass of the hat and \(g\) is the acceleration due to gravity). Rearranging gives \(N = m(g - a)\). Since \(a>0\), \(N

Answer:

decrease