A barometer placed inside an upward accelerating elevator reads 76 cm . The air pressure within the elevator is

Step-by-step solution

Let the upward acceleration of the elevator be a . The effective acceleration due to gravity inside the elevator is g_ eff = g + a . The air pressure P inside the elevator supports the mercury column in the barometer. Thus, P = g_ eff h , where is the density of mercury and h is the height of the mercury column. Given that the barometer reads h = 76 cm , the air pressure is P = (g + a)(76 cm ) . The pressure expressed in terms of standard cm of Hg is P g = 76 ( g + a g ) cm . Since a > 0 , we have g + a g > 1 . The