Weighing Ones Self

[weecalf]

Ok so you weigh your self and for sake of argument sake you are 11. 7 pounds .So as an experiment on behalf of the good people of Answerback I have weighed myself then weighed myself holding a 2 pound bag of sugar and sure enough the scales registered it although my hands were by my side and out side the width of the scales .How did that happen ?

[weecalf]

even if my arms are out stretched ?

[jennyjoan]

I used to weight Mr Harv - he started off at one stone and half and just before he died he was 2 stone - God that was funny trying to roll him on and off the scales. He used to look at you with the puppy dopey eyes saying what's this mad eejit doing to me now.

[scorpiojo]

Lol

[Retrochic]

can someone explain the physics behind this fact: if you stand on a scale next to say a washbasin and apply a downward pressure with your hands onto the washbasin the scales register a lower weight?

[Baldric]

I weighed myself at the weekend, both feet on the scales, weight recorded, no probs. I noticed as I removed one foot from the scales to get off, that before that foot touched the floor my weight reduced by 50%, can you tell me why that happened please Weecalf?

[ummmm]

You're clever enough to know that answer :-)

[jennyjoan]

Retro - I really don't think that is hard to understand. If you are lifting yourself by "prising" yourself up - of course you would weigh less - much less. Have done that myself and what a lovely feeling if you could be that weight.

[ummmm]

JJ...I think she's joking.

[jennyjoan]

Oh Sorry - it is early for my wise thinking at the mo LOL

[jim360]

When you press down on to the sink you are applying a force to the sink. This force includes some of your own weight. So you are applying less of your weight to the scales. This means that it will say that you "weigh less".

Basically, scales are dumb. They don't measure how much you weigh. They just measure how much force is applied to them and turn this into a mass/ weight. It will only give you your true mass if you make sure that you are perfectly stationary, applying only a force through your feet to the scales. Oh, and naked, as clothes can themselves weight something, although in practice people usually don't fuss about this for some reason.

Baldric, I'd say it was because you were moving, which means that there could be another force to be considered. If you'd gone back to standing still and hovered on one foot with the other not touching the ground it would have gone back to giving your full body weight.

[weecalf]

again if you weigh yourself wearing shoes the fact the shoes ae olid rather the bare feet which have a softer contact

[ummmm]

My problem with weighing myself....I can't see the scales.

[jennyjoan]

My mother used to take her wedding ring off hoping to lose more pounds. LOL
.

[ToraToraTora]

you could have 50ft pole across your shoulders with a bag of sugar on each end at would show fully on the scales as long as you are not touching anything else. Now try this get 2 bathroom scales put one on top of the other, now step on the top one, what do they read?

[jennyjoan]

Truly the best times are first thing in the morning and after you have done a pee - that would be a good reading.

[jennyjoan]

TTT - if you can balance a 50Ft pole etc - what with all pushing and shoving the sugar -- you would lose weight LOL

[Retrochic]

No I wasn't joking

[puzzlemaniac]

if I could take my wedding ring off I'd lose pounds and pounds - mostly to a divorce lawyer!!

[Retrochic]

Thank you very much Jim for the explanation. I have a total aversion to Physics

[jim360]

Glad to help. Physics is hard, although in my opinion that's partly because it's never really taught properly at school.