Question

A person sitting in a chair in a satellite feels weightless because _____

(a) the earth does not attract the objects in a satellite

(b) the normal force by the chair on the person balances the earth’s attraction

(c) the normal force is zero

(d) the person in the satellite is not accelerated

I got this question in an online interview.

I would like to ask this question from Gravitation in chapter Gravitation of Physics – Class 11

Answer 1

Right answer is (c) the normal force is zero

Explanation: Since the person sitting in the chair in the satellite is essentially in freefall along with the satellite, he does not experience any reaction force. The lack of reaction force (or) normal force makes a person feel weightless.