ahem...an actual problem from my physics book:

A person weighs a fish of mass m on a spring scale attached to the ceiling of an elevator. Show that if the elevator accelerates in either direction, the spring scale gives a reading different from the true weight of the fish.

...

first of all, *why* would there be a spring scale hanging from an elevator? and if there was, *why* would you weigh a fish on it? ("hey! look! a scale in the elevator! now i can weigh that fish i've been carrying around with me, on the off chance that i'd find a spring scale in an elevator!"). and third of all, if you absolutely *had* to weigh your stupid, stinky fish on said scale, why would you do it while the elevator was accelerating?

ugh. there is no reasoning with these people.