Apparent Weight

True weight is the measure of the gravitational force acting on an object. However, if the object accelerates, its measured weight is different from its true weight. Similar observations can be made when the object is submerged in water. An object's weight in water is its apparent weight, which is equal to the difference between its true weight ...

Consider an elevator at rest, having a box on a weighing scale. The gravitational force on the box equals the normal force exerted by the scale on the box, such that the magnitude of the net force on the box is zero. The scale reads the magnitude of the normal force, which is the true weight of the box.

If the elevator moves upward with a...