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Most people are familiar with how much they weigh, primarily because bodyweight scales are readily accessible in places like the gym, the doctor's office and in home bathrooms. But ask the average person what their body fat percentage is, and there's a good chance they won't know. Unlike measuring body weight, there are several ways to measure body fat percentage, but they're all more involved than simply standing on a scale. Several of the most popular methods are discussed below.

The most accurate type of body fat test uses a technology called dual emission X-ray absorptiometry. This test relies on a full-body scan that uses two X-rays of different doses to ascertain bone and lean soft tissue mass. Once this data has been collected, it is subtracted from the subject's total body mass to produce a very accurate fatty tissue measurement. This type of test can usually be arranged through a general physician's office. Interestingly, this test can also be used to measure bone density.

Another very accurate method of measuring body fat percentage is the hydrostatic test. This test operates on the basic principle that denser materials, including anatomical components, like bone, muscle and connective tissue sink in water, while lighter fatty tissue floats. When the subject enters a water tank, a portion of the water is displaced, allowing for the subject's buoyancy (or water weight) to be recorded. Body fat percentage is calculated by measuring the difference between the subject's water weight and land weight.

A slightly less accurate (but also less expensive) technique of measuring body fat percentage is the caliper test. A caliper is a device used to measure the distance between two sides of an object. This test relies on using calipers to take a series of measurements, in millimeters, of skinfold thickness at various locations on the body, including the thigh, tricep and abdomen. The skinfolds are created by pinching the skin and underlying fat between the thumb and forefinger without catching any muscle. The measurements are then plugged into a mathematical formula to obtain a body fat percentage. It should be noted that the subject cannot perform the test on him or herself.

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