This may seem like a stupid question,but it's stumped us here in the lab today:
What is the difference between a BALANCE and a SCALE?
The two words seem to be used interchangeably to describe a variety of devices that are used to determine the mass of an object, but do they actually describe the same devices, or are scales different than balances?
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SF Bay Area
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Re: balance vs scale
Fri, December 29, 2006 - 1:19 PMA balance is a pivoting mechanical device used to COMPARE the mass of two sets of objects, while a scale is used to DETERMINE the mass of an object (or set of objects).
If one of the sets of objects on a balance has a known mass, then the balance can also be a scale. But a scale isn't necessarily a balance, if it uses springs, strain gages, etc. to find the mass (weight, actually) of an object. -
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Re: balance vs scale
Fri, December 29, 2006 - 1:41 PM
Great response, thank you!
So... the confusion came up when we noticed that VWR uses the word 'balance' to describe devices like this: www.vwrsp.com/catalog/product/index.cgi -- is this a balance because if I opened it up there would be a pivoting mechanism inside? (We've not tried to open ours to see :)
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Re: balance vs scale
Sun, December 31, 2006 - 2:00 PMOne effective difference between the two is that a scale can demonstrate differences in weight owing to acceleration or gravity. A balance can't, because _both_ sides of the balance are affected in the same way by the acceleration or gravity, no matter how great or how small.
- Jordan
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