Question

An elevator has a mass of 1000 kg. What is the tension force on its cables when it is stationary?

Answer 1

`~9810N`

Explanation:

`T = mg + ma`
where `T` is tension force,
`m` is mass
`g` is gravitational field strength
and `a` is acceleration.

if an object is stationary, then it has a constant velocity of `0`. its constant velocity means that its acceleration `a` is also `0`.

if `a` is `0`, then `ma` is also `0`.
this leaves us with `T = mg` for the elevator when it is stationary,

we are given that the mass `m` is `1000kg`.

we can assume that the gravitational field strength meant is that on Earth. for this, we can take an approximate value of `9.81 N//kg`.

`mg`, then, would be `1000kg * 9.81 N//kg`, which is `9810N`.