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Comments
*sigh*
For fuck's sake.
Scales work by measuring force, yes. They then---behind the scenes and hidden to the user---convert that force into a mass, by using whatever calibration factor that has been built into them. Put a 100kg object on a calibrated scale on the earth's surface and you get 100kg. Put a 100kg object on a calibrated scale on the moon's surface and you get 100kg.
The point is that you cannot assume that you know what the calibration is. Physics is universal: you won't always be working somewhere where gravity is 9.8 m/s/s. Physics students are taught not to make unnecessary assumptions like this, which is why this question is very simple to anyone who has understood their basic physics courses.
A scale gives you a mass. You might be able to use that mass to calculate a weight, but you might not.
A forcemeter gives you a force, which in this case is directly equivalent to the weight. No calculations or assumptions required.
Honestly, this really is a very simple question. There's one answer which is very obviously right and one answer which is, at absolute best, only half right. Stop overcomplicating it.
Seems a bit Zen to say if you read off the Newtons side then it is a different object to reading off the Grams side!
Anyway on the subject of weight, apparently BMI is now a load of bollocks as they reckon now that slightly fatter people. over their BMI live longer, so if you are overweight at least you'll have more time to argue about it. Although personally I think it's because people who are bang in the middle of their BMI either physically work too hard because they are poor, worry too much or are just plain crazy.
The simple truth is that a well calibrated cheap Chinese scale costs a few quid from Amazon and is delivered by Herpes within a few days for nothing, acceleration due to gravity is a known constant. On the other hand, a scientific, certified and calibrated Force O Meter probably costs a small fortune, has to be sourced from a specialist company with delivery charged on top and takes more time to deliver. Add in your time researching where to buy one, rather than some cheap scale off of Ebay or Amazon and the costs soon stack up.
See that is the problem these days, no one thinks outside the box. I mean how many decimal places do they need and how much is a decimal place really worth? Bloody pedantic teaches with their free stationary, free coffee and 4 month holidays and pensions and benefits. That is the fundamental problem here, they have no idea how the real world works and these are teaching the fruits of our future? No wonder we have such a overburdened public sector and are neck deep in debt.
I suppose the full answer, to elaborate on that, would also require a full cost benefits and constraints analysis of the longer term economic implications of buying said cheap Chinese scales delivered by Herpes, rather than a well calibrated Force O metre made in the UK. To which the answers probably would be that nobody really knows, just like nobody knows what's outside of space, or even outside of this planet we are all trapped on. You see science is basically just another language as is all about relativity and ultimately it's core extremes and the crux of it is based on faith and philosophy because nobody really knows.
Ner, I'd cut my losses and buy the Chinese scales or at least a scale and calibrated weights, at least then teche might be happier, probably still be moaning about their wage packet, long hours, political interference and pensions benefits though whilst indoctrinating the kiddies, light years after I've figured out the weight and moved on to Borneo.
This is a question aimed at 12 year olds with a very obvious right answer. Maybe the people who need to "get over themselves" are the ones who can't handle getting the answer wrong?
Its a pisspoor question.
Teacher "You got the answer wrong Johnny"
Johnny says "The box says its a Scale and a Forcemeter miss. So I picked Scale".
Teacher "No you're wrong".
"But it says its a Scale on the box miss!"
"@UnclePsychosis says it is a Forcemeter so that is the right answer".
"How does he know better than the people who make the thing miss?"
"Because he just does. Now don't make him angry because I've mislaid his dried frog pills..." )
Ahh, yes, clearly, the right answer is wrong and the wrong answer is right not because of the fundamentals of physics but because of amazon.
Yes, how silly of me.
@chalky, you may well be able to buy a forcemeter with grams next to newtons but the grams measurement will only be accurate under the same gravitational field strength as the instrument was calibrated, which is presumably sea-level. At any other field strength, grams will not be accurate. In any case, the question isn't asking whether you can measure mass with a forcemeter, so even if you were right your point would be something of a strawman.
The question is fine. The answer is forcemeter.
Uh-oh, can't do that, you need a forcemeter.
But we've got 10 seconds!
Well we're going to die then because using a scale would be scientifically wrong. See, we're in Aberdeenshire on top of all this granite so...
BOOM!
(Standing at the pearly gates)
Why oh why didn't you just hand me the spring balance?
Because someone on a guitar forum said it would be the wrong answer!
And it was this important?
Well it seemed like it at the time!
There, there, I hear St Peter has dried frog pills for everyone...
Now, if you don't mind I'm off to join @stickyfiddle for a drink.