Question

if a sealed 1 ton container containing an elephant weighing 1 ton were put on scales and the elephant was "floated" in mid air inside the container would the scales continue to show 2 ton?

Answer 1

yes, unless it's a 0 gravity situation, which i dont think it is, the scale would show 2 tons

Answer 2

How's the elephant being floated? If a wire leads to the top of the box, then of course the weight of the elephant on the wire will pull the box downward an additional 1 ton. If the elephant is equipped with a rocket belt, then the force of the exhaust on the bottom of the box provides another 1 ton of downward force on the scale. Now on the other hand, if the elephant jumps into the air, then while the elephant is airborne the scale will read only 1 ton.

Answer 3

not technically true. assuming its an hermetic container, if the elephant jumped into the air. its volume and density, would make the air travel downwards, changing the value of the scale. And while falling, the pressured caused by the elephant, and the fact the air cant escape, would also change the value of the scale. But of course, if there's no air, the only chanfe would be by the downward force of the jump to elevate the elephant, and when he lands. Btw, just an info, elephants cant jump xD

Answer 4

I don't think your reasonin is sound, curious. It's true that when the elephant jumped, the scale would momentarily read higher -- in fact, it would be greater than the weight of the box plus the elephant -- more than 2 tons -- by however much force the elephant is capable of exerting. If the elephant exerts 1.5 tons of force, for example, then the scale will momentarily read 3.5 tons. (Obviously the elephant must exert more force than its own weight to get airborne at all.) It's also true that when the elephant lands, the scale will again momentarily read more than 2 tons, by whatever amount of force is required to bring the elephant to rest in the distance the scale can depress -- probably quite a lot of force.

But I can't see the displacement of the air having any effect at all. When the elephant jumps, he will just introduce a circulating current, as the air will rush in to fill the vacuum he leaves behind and be displaced from in front of him. A circulating air current will exert no force in any direction. If anything, we would expect it to exert a very tiny force on the top of the box as the elephant initially accelerates the air in front of him and it is deflected by the top of the box.

Who says elephants can't jump? Just because they don't do it when anyone is around to see them doesn't prove it. For all we know, they not only jump, but play basketball, have fiercely-fought championships games, and go on to endorse products on the All-Elephant Infrasound Network..