If you experience weightlessness, this means that:
A. There is no net force acting on you.
B. You are accelerating upward.
C. Your apparent weight is zero.
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is:
C. Your apparent weight is zero.
Explanation:
Weightlessness occurs when an object or person experiences a sensation of having no weight, which means that there is no normal force acting on them. The key term here is “apparent weight,” which refers to the force exerted by a surface (such as the ground, a chair, or a scale) supporting an object.
In everyday situations, our apparent weight is what we feel due to the normal force exerted by the ground or another surface. For example, when you stand on a scale, the scale measures the normal force and translates it into a weight reading.
However, in weightlessness, the normal force is zero. This happens when an object is in free fall—falling under the influence of gravity alone, without any other forces (such as a supporting surface) acting on it. This is the case for astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), where both they and the station are in free fall around the Earth. Since everything inside the station is accelerating at the same rate due to gravity, there is no contact force pushing against their bodies, and they feel weightless.
Why Not A or B?
- A. There is no net force acting on you – This is incorrect because, in weightlessness, gravity is still acting on you. The net force is not zero; rather, the only force acting is gravity.
- B. You are accelerating upward – This is incorrect because weightlessness is not caused by an upward acceleration but rather by free fall, where gravity is the only force present.
Thus, weightlessness means your apparent weight is zero, even though gravity is still pulling on you.