Kofi is inside an elevator wearing a loose-fitting hat. The elevator cable snaps and the elevator falls freely. What happens to Kofi's hat relative to Kofi during the free fall? Respond very briefly.
The hat remains on Kofi's head without rising or falling relative to him. The reason is that when the elevator cable snaps and it begins to fall freely, everything inside the elevator including Kofi and his loose-fitting hat is in a state of free fall under gravity. Everything inside is accelerating downwards at the same rate due to gravity, assuming no air resistance. In this state, known as "weightlessness," it would appear as if there are no forces acting upon the objects in the elevator. Hence, the relative position of the hat to Kofi doesn't change; it does not rise, fall, or float away unless acted upon by another force, like Kofi moving his head or air currents within the elevator.