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 ?

[bhg481]

I think we're all assuming that your arms were connected to your body at the time, so they were grounded via your feet. If you'd taken off your arms and put them on a nearby table with the sugar on them then I can understand your problem.

[Tilly2]

:-)

[ladybirder]

pmsl.

[Peter Pedant]

Posted in the wrong section

Jim 360 teaches math at uni - and could give a good explanation. - even involving the wibbly wobbly comet thing. In short Newton ( 3rd Law - he was a one for laws ) showed that lots of connected little masses would act for a lot of things thro one point ( called er the centre of mass).

By adding a bag of shug you didnt shift in space the centre of mass but you did clock it up by a kg.

Next time hold a small mini engine or a hand held nuclear reactor and you will see a difference

[ this takes me back to 1968 and Fatty Barrett's classes on statics ]

[-Talbot-]

Using your logic weightlifters are having us on then?

Those weights don't count because they are on the end of a pole, what a con!

[Peter Pedant]

hey I like bhg's explanation better

more scientific and more likely to be near the truth as occurred

[Tilly2]

This is a nice 'armless post. :-)

[Peter Pedant]

well yeah

thos weight lifters who go across on wires

The pole shifts the centre of mass to BELOW wire ( think picture hanging off a nail in the wall ) and so the situation is stable

and when you drop the pole - as the Wallender wire walker grand dad did AND it is on video on u - tube, fifty years ago - the nine chair pyramid is DOOMED ! - they all fall off. watch and enjoy.

[ABAuntie]

morning all,

I have moved this to How it Works, I hope that's OK weecalf.

auntie xxx

[-Talbot-]

Why do fat people weigh so much when half their body is outside the width of the scales?

You haven't really thought this one out have you, weecalf?

[woofgang]

your arms are attached to your body and your body is attached to your feet which are on the scales. Anything attached to your feet will be weighted by the scales.

[Peter Pedant]

Hey did St Teresa of Avila ( notorious fat girl and sugar holder ) have this problem? By standers swore in ecstasy she would levitate.
and then the weigning machine would register ZERO !

[Khandro]

//Anything attached to your feet will be weighted by the scales.// unless you take your shoes off.

[weecalf]

Good responses .So the pressure of the arms pulling on the shoulders converts to pressure is that right then and it shows up as weight on the scales

[woofgang]

pretty much right weecalf (on earth anyway!)

[SlackAlice]

Yes, provided your not jumping upwards when you look at the scale.

[Old_Geezer]

The centre of gravity explanation is the scientific one. All your weight acts as if it is at a single point, and that point will be above your feet regardless whether things stick out.

The sticky out bits aren't supported except via your body, so the sticky out bit's weight has to be applying a downward force on the lowest part of you anyway, i.e. your feet; regardless that it is, say, pulling down on your shoulders rather than lumped on top of them. And your feet, by virtue on being on the scale, gets it all weighed at the same time.

[Old_Geezer]

Wow that moved on a bit since I started typing that post.

[weecalf]

Im a genius ,any thing else you need to know?

[bhg481]

If several objects are joined together they act as one object - by holding the sugar you and it become one object as far as the scales are concerned.
To look at it another way, if you ate the sugar you would not be surprised to find yourself 2lb heavier instantly, would you?