Apparent Weight?

Question

You are standing on a bathroom scale inside an elevator. Your weight is 140 lbs, but the reading of the scale is 120 lbs.

what is the magnitude and direction of the acceleration of the elevator?

Can you tell whether the elevator is speeding up or slowing down?

Answer 1

Since you appear to weigh less than normal, the elevator is either accelerating downwards or decelerating in its upward motion.
Since you have 'lost' 1/7 th of your weight, the acceleration is 1/7 th of g.
i.e. about 1.4 ms^-2 or (for Americans!) 4.6 fts^-2.

Answer 2

Yes I can tell you, but I choose not to.