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At 11:15 AM 4/7/97 -0700, you wrote:
I never interpret or teach the upward force of the ground as my weight!
I can't think of a more confusing interpretation. I teach my students
that weight is the force of gravity which acts downward on everyone.
I always had trouble explaining the Ferris Wheel problems until I started
suggesting that our sensation of weight is due to the upward force that
opposes gravity and keeps us from falling. This, IMHO, gives a much more
cogent explaination of why the rider feels near weightless at the top and
feels twice as heavy as normal at the bottom of a Ferris Wheel moving at the
appropriate speed.