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What is the difference between a spring scale and a bathroom scale?
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Many bathroom scales are spring scales. Yes, there are new "electronic" scales flooding the market, but the venerable spring scale is still around and for good reason. Hooke's law (of elasticity) is involved, but it isn't rocket science. Let's look. A spring scale uses the force of a person's weight to act against a spring, and the deflection of the spring moves a pointer or dial which tells the individual standing on the device how much he weighs. The spring is calibrated for use in this application, and it is "zeroed" with a little operating wheel to account for temperature changes. The net result is a reasonably accurate measure of weight, providing the unit hasn't been damaged and has been placed on a relatively level floor. Naturally the user must stand "correctly" on the scale, too. Note: Hooke's law is just the idea that the force needed to extend a spring is proportional to the distance that spring is extended from its rest position. The key here is whether we can build a spring that gives a fairly linear result. What that means is if a child steps on the scale and weighs in, is the scale as accurate as if an adult steps on it and weighs in? Good scales are accurate to a pound or so. We're not trying to take anything away from Robert Hooke, the 17th century British physicist. We're just trying to keep it simple. After all, none of us are like Hooke. We didn't work under Boyle and we didn't get noticed and we weren't included in the group that formed the Royal Society in that shining era of the the advancement of natural philosophy that set foundations for what we today call science. Oh, and word on the street is that Hooke was a fine mathematician - and Boyle was not. Who really developed Boyle's law, hmm? But the two guys were tight, so we may never know. You'll want some links just in case. And because this is WikiAnswers, we got links for ya. They're to the relevant articles in Wikipedia. Apologies in advance, but at this writing, the post on the spring scale is just a stub. Look on the bright side, though. That just means it will only take a minute to read all of it!
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoA scale is used for weight, a balance is used for mass.
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What is the difference between freezing and boiling points on a Fahrenheit scale?
The difference between the freezing and boiling points vary from substance to substance.
What is the equipment used for measuring force?
A newton meter is used to measure force.
How do you use spring scale in a sentence?
spring scale is like we measure he measurethe mass tool used to measure force
What is true if a digital scale reports a 10kg weight as weighing 8.975 kg?
The scale is precise but not accurate. (APEX)
Does a spring scale measure weight?
A spring scale is any device that uses the translation of a spring by force due to weight to discover the mass of an object. Let's translate that into easier words. A spring wants to hold its shape. But it is elastic, and if we apply a force to it, it changes shape. The amount of change in its shape will be proportional to the force applied to it. That's Hooke's law of elasticity. Nothing could be simpler. How does that apply? Jump with me and we'll see. By attaching a pointer or dial to a spring in a particular way, we can use the "coefficient of elasticity" of the spring to tell us how much gravity is pulling on something (which is force). We use that something to change the shape of the spring, and by indexing the movement of that spring, that is, setting up a scale or dial, we can use the device (after calibration) to give us a fairly accurate measure of the weight of an object. Most of us are familiar with the spring scale as the so-call "bathroom scale" which is kept secreted away in the water closet. It's a spring scale, and a useful device (though there seem to be more and more electronic interlopers). There are also small versions of the spring scale, too. We find them in home kitchens for weighing food or small objects, as well as in some fishing tackle boxes. Before the electronic age, these little scales were everywhere that there was commerce. Think of all the stuff that gets weighed from meat and produce at the store to the letters and packages at the mailing places. The spring scale used to do all that. And it did it pretty well, too. Links are provided to Wikipedia articles for further reading. A device used to determine the weight of an object (usually fairly light like 10 pounds or less). It uses a spring attached to a hook to work. The object to be weighed is hung from the hook, which compresses the spring. The amount that the spring is compressed is read on a scale that is graduated in pounds.
What is the difference between spring balance and bathroom scale?
There are several different ways to make a bathroom scale; some of them are based on springs, and some are not.
What is the difference between triple beam balance and a spring scale?
A spring scale measures weight while a triple beam balance measures mass.
What is the difference between a spring scale and a pan balance?
i think it means this website is ugly nasty
What is the difference between a balance spring scale thermometer and computer?
A balance weighs people A spring scale weighs food A thermometer tells you the degrees, kelvin, and Celsius A computer gives you information
What is the difference between triple beam balance and spring balance?
A spring scale measures weight while a triple beam balance measures mass.
What is the difference between the triple beam balance and spring balance?
A spring scale measures weight while a triple beam balance measures mass.
What is the difference between bar scale and statement scale?
What is the difference between a bar scale and a statement scale
Aside from the spring balance could you give another instrument that can measure force?
a bathroom scale
What are the difference between successive values on a scale?
The difference between the successive values on a scale is an interval.
What do you use to measures force?
A spring scaleYou use a dynamometer to measure force.
The difference between one number and the next on the scale?
the difference between ine number and the next on the scale ?
When putting an object on a spring scale the pointer shows the object's what?
When putting an object on a spring scale the pointer is going to show that objects weight. So the answer would be WEIGHT. Like for example when you are in your bathroom and you step on the scale , the pointer is going to show how much you weigh.
