elevator

Ball in water on elevator: Buoyancy

April 20, 2009

OK. Float a ball in a beaker of water in an elevator. The ball floats because the buoyant force of the water displaced by the ball is equal to the weight of the water. Now, accelerate the elevator upward. What happens to the ball? Does it: Sink lower, rise higher, or stay the same? Here's [...]

Read the full article →

Force data from elevator ride to top of 555 California St, SF (52 floors)

January 15, 2009

Yesterday I took a trip up the longest elevator ride in San Francisco (at 555 California St). I brought along my LabQuest and Force Plate (essentially a recording bathroom scale, see image of LabQuest at bottom of post). As I rode the elevator up and down, the LabQuest was recording my apparent weight (think about [...]

Read the full article →