A quality food manufacturing facility needs to maintain a strict weighing process. This will help ensure that all the ingredients are distributed evenly and taste exactly the same. This will also ensure that the food is safe for human consumption.

Static weighing is used for a variety of applications, including logistics and warehousing. It helps to calculate shipping costs, optimize load distribution, and track inventory.

Weighing paper

Weighing paper is a non-sticky, abrasion resistant and moisture-resistant sheet of paper that keeps the balance pan clean and makes the weighing process more precise. It is available in a range of sizes and can be folded into a variety of shapes for different uses. It is often used in chemistry labs for conveying powdery or gelatinous materials to and from the weighing pan, as a liner within containers, or as a temporary surface to support a slide.

When using a weighing paper, make sure to tare it before adding your reagent. This will prevent the weighing boat or paper from being included in the measurement (which can skew results). If the reagent is hazardous, consider placing it into an empty microcentrifuge tube and taring that instead.

Once the weighing paper has been tared, put your substance on it and reread the mass. The result should be a zero reading, as the weight of the weighing paper or reagent will have been subtracted from the initial reading.

Weighing vessel

If you’re weighing solids with an analytical balance, it’s important to use the correct vessels for the process. These should have a minimal surface area to prevent sample loss. Additionally, they should be clean and dry inside and out. This is because even slight temperature differences can produce a varying mass, which is not conducive to accurate weighing.

Chemical substances that are volatile, corrosive or deliquescent must be transferred into pre-tared containers before being placed onto the weighing pan. This will ensure that the weighing instrument is not overloaded or impacted, which can lead to errors in the results.

Using the right vessel for the process also helps to avoid static charges. These can be a significant cause of error in some processes, especially when weighing fine powders. For this reason, COOPER Instruments & Systems offers a range of digital weighing solutions that incorporate a rugged load cell mounted under the weighing vessel. These are made from stainless steel and hermetically sealed to IP68, allowing for fast cleaning and easy installation.

Weighing funnel

The weighing funnel is a device used to help transfer solids from a weighing pan into a volumetric flask. It eliminates the need for weighing paper, and it allows for a sanity check of the amount transferred to the flask. The weighing funnel also prevents minute sample loss during the transfer process.

The design of the weighing funnel is specifically engineered to minimize spillage and contamination. It is made of durable, chemical-resistant polypropylene, making it suitable for a wide range of laboratory applications. It is also easy to clean, making it an ideal tool for transferring samples between containers and even reagent bottles.

Using a weighing funnel is safer and more reliable than the old method of weighing on a piece of glassine paper with a center crease. This technique is also more hygienic than dumping the powder onto a weighing pan. When transferring solids to the weighing funnel, it is recommended that you tap the weigh boat gently with your hand or use a transfer tool to prevent an avalanche of material.

Weighing balance

A weighing balance is a laboratory instrument used to measure the mass of an object. It compares an unknown quantity to a standard quantity and displays the difference as weight. It can be used for a wide variety of purposes, including pharmaceutical labs, new product development, beer brewing, and paint mixing. Weighing balances are available in several different types, including mechanical, electronic, and analytical.

All weighing instruments need careful handling. They should be stored in an area that is free from air currents and temperature fluctuations. They should also be kept away from heating/cooling vents, as they could affect their temperatures and cause a loss of mass calibration. It is important to ensure that the standard weights do not rub against the balance pans or any hard surface. In addition, they should be stored in a dry environment free of corrosive gases and dust.

The analytical balance is so sensitive that it can detect the amount of powdered chemical to within four decimal places. This allows for very precise measurements, ensuring that the results are accurate and reproducible.

Having control over one’s eating is important to maintaining healthy weight. It is possible to increase your self-control, so that you eat less and gain less weight over time.

Keep tempting foods out of sight and have low-calorie, diet-friendly food readily available to prevent overeating. Avoid sugary snacks and beverages, which contain empty calories.

Eat Smaller Meals

Several studies have shown that eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day may help you control your weight. This is because it keeps your metabolism working all day, and helps you feel full. Additionally, it is easier to track calories with smaller, more frequent meals.

However, if you decide to adopt this diet, it is important to choose nutrient-rich foods at each meal. This way you can be sure you are not consuming more calories than you need to.

It is also important to note that this type of diet may not work well for everyone. Individuals with gastrointestinal issues, like IBS or GERD, may find that large meals make their symptoms worse. It is also a good idea to consult with your doctor or dietitian before making any changes in your diet.

Serve Your Plate at the Stove

Research shows that people tend to eat more of the food they have on their plate. For long-term weight control, serve meals on a small plate to help prevent overeating and relapse into old habits. Use a portion control plate that will provide you with an accurate space for your proteins, carbohydrates and greens.

Fill about half the plate with healthy, low-sugar carbohydrates such as whole grains and unsweetened cereals. Include a small serving of fruit and low-fat dairy products.

Don’t Put Serving Dishes on the Table

Serving dishes at the table are easy to help yourself from, which makes it difficult to control your portion size. It’s also easy to have “just one more spoonful.” To prevent this from happening, remove all serving dishes and utensils from the table, except for those holding low-calorie vegetables or salads. If you must put some serving dishes on the table, use smaller plates, bowls and glasses to control your portion sizes. Also, store leftovers right away so that you aren’t tempted to reach for another helping. This can be particularly effective with children who are learning how to manage their food choices.

From the slightly skewed spring scale hanging on a grocery store wall to the pit-and-girder monsters that weigh train cars and tractor trailers, scales make modern life possible. Unfortunately, scales can also be difficult to develop.

While scales come in many different forms, the fundamental device doing the weighing is nearly always a load cell. The same holds true for the processes used to create scales.

Definition

A scale is a series of graduated intervals, especially in a musical composition. It may also be a ratio in which different measurements are proportionally represented. Scale is an important aspect of art and design. It allows artists to create a variety of effects by using different sized elements within one overall composition.

A common example of scale is a diagram on a blueprint that indicates the dimensions of the object based on a specific ratio. The dimensions of the actual object are multiplied by the ratio to calculate and interpret the blueprint dimensions.

Another common example of scale is the hierarchical scale in which higher-status objects are shown larger than lower-status objects. This scale is also often seen in art and is used to convey meaning or emotion. In highly developed cultures, complex systems governing the use of scales exist and are perpetuated through written treatises on music theory and oral communication from generation to generation.

Classification

A scale is a method of categorizing data and giving it meaning. There are four common scales used: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. Each scale has different properties that determine how the data is analysed. For instance, the interval scale has properties of both the ordinal and nominal scales. It also has equal intervals between adjacent data points.

Interval scales are used to measure differences between variables. For example, the difference in temperature between 20 and 30 degrees is measured using an interval scale. The interval scale can also be used to rank data. For example, the order in which athletes finish a race is ranked on an interval scale.

Ratio scales are the most complex and versatile of all the scales. They have properties of the nominal, ordinal and interval scales but include a true zero value. This allows for the calculation of mean, median and mode which are not possible on other scales.

Purpose

A scale is used to measure or compare things, and also as a means of ranking something. For example, a scale can refer to the size or extent of something: ‘the scale of an earthquake’; ‘the large-scale theft of aid’. It can also mean the range of a measurement: ‘the scale of the metre’.

A scale can also be a ratio, as in ‘the scale of a piano’ or ‘a scale of ten’. A scale is an important tool for mapping, where it allows us to represent the dimensions of an object on a two-dimensional map, with comparatively smaller proportional measurements.

Similarly, musical scales are used to help create music with consistent pitches. However, some musical scales cannot be represented with conventional notation, such as the tumbling strains found in nonliterate or indigenous Australian Aboriginal music. A hybrid scale was developed in 2014 which combines the principles of both a balance and spring scale, using elastic deformation to achieve equilibrium.

Examples

Scale can be used to describe the size of a figure or object. It can also be used to show the relationship between two numbers, such as in a ratio scale. For example, speed is measured on a ratio scale. When comparing speeds, we know that 50 miles per hour is half the speed of 100 miles per hour.

When conducting research, it is important to understand the different types of measurement scales. This will help researchers decide which data analysis technique to use.

Nominal and ordinal scales are easy to understand, as they depict non-mathematical ideas such as frequency or degree of satisfaction. Interval and ratio scales are more complicated, but still useful. It is important to understand the difference between interval and ratio scales, as they can have a significant impact on data analysis techniques. Using the incorrect type of scale can lead to inaccurate results. Also, it is a good idea to develop a preliminary list of items and response options for any survey.

Measures are important to many disciplines and everyday life. For that reason, their definitions and uses have been studied extensively.

The concept is a generalization of the notions of length, area and volume. It also is related to concepts of measurable sets and semifinite measures. See the references below for further details.

Quantity

Measurements are the quantitative aspects of physical phenomena. They are central to the sciences, engineering, construction, commerce, and daily life. As a result, many philosophers have written on the nature of measurement.

Most measurements are recorded in scientific notation, with a certain number of significant figures. For example, 3.000 m is the length of a rectangular box with side lengths of 3, 4, and 5. The number of significant figures reflects the precision of the measurement. Only one uncertain digit may remain in a recorded measurement, but it must be eliminated from the display.

Different organizations categorize measures by a variety of schemes. These can include the meaning of a measure, its level of CMS Meaningful Measures health care priority, or data source. Measures can be discrete or continuous. Tableau creates a vertical axis for a continuous field when it is on the Rows shelf and a horizontal axis for a discrete field on the Columns shelf.

Time

Throughout history, measurement has been an important part of trade and commerce, science, technology, engineering and construction and almost all human activity. The conditions, limitations and theoretical foundations of measurements are studied in the field of metrology.

Time is the most fundamental measurement. It is defined as the change that occurs between the present and the past of a thing or event. It is not the same as, nor can it be measured in the same way as, other properties such as length or weight.

Historically, many different systems of measurement have been used to measure time. The most widely accepted system today is the International System of Units (SI), which reduces all physical measurements to a mathematical combination of seven base units. The SI definitions are artifact-free, meaning they do not rely on a specific physical object to serve as a standard. This makes the SI more stable than other measurement systems that are tied to particular physical objects, which can be deteriorated or destroyed.

Probability

Probability is a branch of mathematics that deals with numerical descriptions of how likely an event is to occur. It can be interpreted as an objective property (frequentist probability), or as a subjective one (propensity theory).

A probability measure gives probabilities to sets of experimental outcomes. It is a function on a set and must satisfy certain basic properties, such as countable additivity and the Kolmogorov axioms.

In practice, we measure probability by using relative frequencies. This method is often referred to as the frequentist definition of probability, and it is the most commonly used approach to defining probability.

This definition has many important applications in our daily lives, from insurance pricing to stock market decisions. It is also an essential tool for the scientific community, such as when designing experiments and analyzing data. A simple example is the tossing of a coin, which has a random outcome but can be studied by collecting and analyzing data from numerous trials.

Mass is a fundamental property of matter. It remains the same regardless of shape or location. For instance, you will weigh less on the moon than on Earth, but your body’s mass will stay the same.

The metric system, developed by Gabriel Mouton, is now used worldwide. Its basic units are the meter and kilogram.

Gravitational force

Gravity is the force that attracts all objects with mass and pulls them toward each other. Its strength depends on the mass of the objects and their distance apart. The strength of the gravitational force decreases as the distance between the objects increases.

Physicists have long sought to measure the strength of gravity at extremely small masses. Their challenge was to design a detector that would be exquisitely sensitive to the tiny gravitational force between two gold spheres the size of a sesame seed and weighing as much as four grains of rice—the smallest masses for which gravitation has been measured to date.

Gravimeters are instruments used in geology/geophysics to detect small changes in gravity that can reveal information about ocean circulation, glacial melt, droughts or geodesy. Gravimeters are built almost identically to spring balances, except they include a quartz crystal and vacuum chamber. They are also capable of measuring the effects of air resistance on the force of gravity.

Inertia

Inertia is a fundamental property of matter that quantifies the object’s resistance to changes in its state of motion. The more an object has mass, the greater its inertia will be. This inertia is based on Newton’s first law of motion, which states that an object at rest will remain at rest or continue moving at a constant velocity unless acted upon by a net external force.

If an object has a low inertia, it will be easy to change its motion. For example, a large car will resist changing its speed, but a feather lying on a table will change its speed effortlessly.

An object’s inertia can be measured using a balance or a spring scale, which takes g into account. This is how a scientist determines an astronaut’s weight in space by measuring the oscillation of the spring scale with the astronaut attached. This method is known as the “Newton’s cradle”. The inertial mass of an object is proportional to its acceleration.

Density

Density is a physical property that determines how tightly matter is packed together. It is a measurement of the mass of a substance divided by its volume, and it is often used to categorize substances. It is calculated using a formula, and the units are kg over cubic metres. The principle of density was discovered by the Greek scientist Archimedes.

Density explains why a heavier block of lead is denser than a block of Styrofoam, and why large metal ships can float. It also explains why water is denser than air and how oil and vinegar separate into layers.

Knowing how to calculate density is important because it can be used to find the mass of an object based on its volume, or vice versa. It is also useful in determining the composition of an object and identifying its type. The concept of density is a fundamental part of science and is found in everyday life.

Weight

There is a lot of confusion about the difference between mass and weight. Especially in non-scientific contexts, the words are often used interchangeably. While mass measures how much matter something contains, weight is the force of gravity on an object.

The weight of an object will change if you bring it closer to Earth or farther away. However, its mass will stay the same. This is why scientists use balances to measure mass, because they can be used on any planet.

The International Prototype Kilogram, a cylindrical metal alloy cylinder kept in Paris, is the official international standard for kilograms. A kilogram is one of the seven base units in the International System of Units (SI). It was formerly defined by the evaporation of a certain amount of water, but since there is a lack of reliable ways to evaporate water accurately, the kilogram has been redefined using natural constants, such as the speed of light, the Planck constant and the resonant frequency of the caesium atom.

Weighing plays a critical role in ensuring that food manufacturing facilities make safe and high-quality products. From preparing ingredients to measuring finished goods, the weighing process involves many different factors.

Always keep the weighing area clean & free of corrosive gases & dust. Avoid touching standard weights with bare hands as hand grease can affect their mass.

Weighing Scales

Whether you’re measuring ingredients for a pharmaceutical formulation, counting parts for an automotive project or checking the weight of a boxed product, accurate scales are key. Dependable scales are the foundation of a quality product and critical to customer satisfaction, profitability and compliance with government regulations.

Scales determine an unknown mass’s size by comparing it to a calibrated known quantity of mass, often by adding standard masses to one or both sides of the scale until fine balance is achieved. In a more sophisticated form, this class of weighing instrument, also known as a laboratory balance or beam balance, is equipped with a sliding mass that can be moved along a scale platform to make an immediate determination of the sample’s mass.

Unlike strain gauge scales which measure resistance or opposing force, force motor scales rely on an indicator that produces an electrical current in proportion to the weight applied to the load cell. However, this technology has a number of drawbacks that limit its usefulness at higher capacity.

Sample Containers

The weighing process requires containers that can hold the sample and allow air to circulate. Using a container that is lined or has a plastic screw-on cap can help prevent leaks. These containers are popular for soil and water samples.

The advantage of weighing to measure level or inventory is that it doesn’t require contact with the material, which is important for measuring corrosive materials or operating in a corrosive environment. In addition, weighing uses weight instead of volume to measure the material, which can eliminate measurement errors due to foaming or uneven density.

Moisture that enters the weighing system junction box can wick into the cables to each load cell, reducing the capacitance between signal lines and affecting weighing accuracy. Weighing systems that are hermetically sealed at both the strain gauge area and cable entry are better able to resist contamination.

Weighing Paper

Weighing paper is an essential tool to use when weighing powdery samples on analytical balances. It prevents the substance from gunking up the measuring pan and can increase precision by keeping the sample off of the weighing platform. VWR offers a wide variety of laboratory weighing papers in different sizes, including moisture-resistant options made from glassine.

Weighing papers are also available with a pre-printed ream weight (the number of sheets that make up a style of paper) and an international basis size conversion chart. The ream weight is used to identify the style of paper; the basis weight determines how much it weighs in pounds or grams per square meter, respectively.

A paper’s thickness is called caliper, and the higher the caliper, the thicker the paper. Heavier paper is typically sturdier, but it doesn’t necessarily have better qualities. It depends on how the paper is made and its composition. This is why it’s important to understand the interplay between paper weight and caliper.

Transfer Vessels

Crew transfer vessels are large sea-going water taxis that transport workers to and from offshore wind farms and oil platforms. They can operate dozens or even hundreds of kilometers offshore. To minimize the risk of kidnapping or ransom these vessels often feature bullet-proof pilot houses and internal passenger safe rooms.

Today, CTVs are mainly aluminium catamarans designed to carry up to 12 passengers. With 15-20 knt transit speed they can take crews to their destination in a short time. They are powered by Wartsila engines delivering optimized drive train for maximum operational reliability.

Ship to ship (STS) transfers can be carried out at sea with both vessels underway or one ship secured alongside a stationary tanker at anchor. STS can be used to transfer oil cargo, liquefied natural gas, dry bulk cargo and livestock. The latter typically include cattle ships, poultry carriers and fish trawlers. The cargo is transferred from the moored vessel to the transfer vessel using a pipeline system, and then pumped back to the moored vessel.

Controlling your weight requires a commitment to healthy eating and exercise. Aim for frequent, smaller meals and nutrient-dense snacks. Avoid foods high in sugar, salt, and fat.

Misperception of one’s own weight status was related to unhealthy forms of weight control behaviour, such as exercising; fasting or skipping meals; dieting (eating less); and taking diet pills, including over the counter, herbal, and dietary supplements.

Healthy fats

Fat has received a bad reputation, but not all fats are unhealthy. Healthy fats can help lower cholesterol levels, improve functionality throughout the body and promote weight loss. Unhealthy fats, however, can lead to weight gain, heart disease and diabetes.

The key to incorporating healthy fats into your diet is choosing the right kinds of fats. Avoiding processed fats and limiting saturated and trans fats can help you maintain a healthier weight. Processed fats are found in foods like stick margarine, butter, the fat marbling of meat and vegetable oils. Saturated fats are found in foods such as full-fat dairy products, fatty fish and coconut oil. Trans fats are commonly found in snack foods like crackers and cakes. The healthiest fats come from foods that are naturally high in fat such as avocados, olive oil and fatty fish. Healthy fats are primarily monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. They include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which support cell function, lower cholesterol and aid in the absorption of certain nutrients.

Scales come in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. From the slightly skewed spring scale hanging above your produce aisle to the pit-and-girder monster that weighs train cars and tractor trailers, they all measure force.

A perfect scale would work like a perfectly stiff spring, bending proportionally with the weight being applied to it. A variety of research designs are used to improve the validity of scales during development.

Likert Scale

Likert scales are commonly used in market research, customer satisfaction surveys and to understand a respondent’s overall satisfaction. They also help in determining the impact of a particular factor on a variable, such as customer satisfaction or a product’s appearance or price. The questions are not binary and allow the respondent to choose from a range of options. For example, they can answer ‘extremely satisfied’ to ‘dissatisfied’, which helps companies get more actionable data and better insights.

It is important to decide how many response options you want the question to have. Choosing too few can remove the neutral option and cause respondents to not be able to answer the question honestly. Also, it is important to ensure that the scales are consistent and not polarized. This will reduce the risk of social desirability bias.

Scale of Attributes

A scale of attributes is a tool researchers use to measure the abstract intrinsic qualities of an individual. It is used to quantify responses that are not directly measurable and it is a crucial component of research design. There are many different types of psychological attribute scales with wildely varying measurement properties.

The interval scale is a type of attribute scale that has both an order and an equal interval. For example, a temperature scale in Celsius and Fahrenheit is an interval scale because the difference between 30 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit is the same as that between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Interval scales also have a zero point, unlike nominal and ordinal scales.

An interval scale can be analysed using the arithmetic mean, median, mode and range. It can also be used to calculate a statistical variance and standard deviation. However, it does not have a built-in correlation between variables and cannot be used to identify cause and effect relationships.

Scale of Bipolar Labels

A bipolar matrix scale can be a powerful tool for measuring attitudes and perceptions in surveys. Its multidimensional design allows respondents to evaluate their attitudes and perceptions on multiple dimensions at once, which reduces the likelihood of response bias. However, there are several challenges with interpreting results from this question type.

One challenge is that bipolar scales often require more cognitive effort to evaluate than unipolar scales, because they contrast two opposite attributes. This can be especially problematic when using semantic differentials, where the endpoints of a scale are not pure opposites (e.g., boring vs interesting).

Another challenge is that bipolar scales can be difficult to interpret because they do not offer a midpoint or neutral option. As a result, it is important to test question wording with potential respondents before using it in your survey. It is also important to ensure that the polar adjectives you use in a bipolar scale are true opposites, and not just words with similar meanings.

Scale of Scales

Scales of measurement are the different ways in which a researcher can classify a group of variables. They can be ordered, ordinal, interval, or nominal. Each of these scales is characterized by its properties as listed below.

In music, a scale is a collection of tones or intervals dividing an octave. The most common scales are diatonic and chromatic. Each has a distinct pattern of gaps that are augmented or diminished by various pitches. The scales also differ by whether or not they contain a root note.

The nominal scale only contains labels for categorization or division and not for comparison or calculations. For example, a survey question asking which car brand the respondent prefers is of this type. The interval scale contains properties of the nominal and ordered data, and allows comparisons or calculations to be made between different variables. For instance, 40 degrees plus 20 degrees equals 60 degrees. This scale is commonly used in research.

When it comes to measuring employee performance, businesses need to focus on quantifiable factors that are clearly linked to the key elements that determine business success. This can be difficult, however.

There are several levels to measurement: type, magnitude, and unit. Each of these enables unambiguous comparisons. The mathematical theory of measure has been based on the notion of countable additivity.

Measures and Metrics

The right metrics provide insights into key business areas, helping you identify opportunities for improvement and make data-driven decisions. However, selecting metrics requires thoughtful consideration and the use of the right tools to ensure they’re effective.

Metrics are quantitative assessments that allow for comparisons and tracking of a variety of areas of interest, including financial, operational, customer-centric, or employee performance. They’re used by business executives to assess and analyze company strategies, by analysts to form opinions, and by portfolio managers to guide investment decisions. They’re also essential for project managers to track and manage strategic projects.

To be effective, metrics must be relevant and measurable, and they should align with the specific goals of your organization or project. They should also have clear criteria for how they’re collected, calculated, and tracked over time. To maximize their value, it’s important that you take the time to set meaningful goals for each metric and review them on a regular basis.

Measuring Employee Performance

Employee performance is crucial to the success of any business. Keeping tabs on the quality of their work helps ensure employees are working efficiently and alerts leaders to those who may need additional support.

There are many different methods for measuring employee performance – some focus on qualitative data, while others use a combination of hard metrics and human insight. Some of the most common include evaluating employee progress and productivity, work efficiency (a ratio of input to output), goal achievement and team integration.

It can be difficult to quantify innovation and initiative, but it is important to recognize the contributions of employees who take risks or come up with new ideas that could benefit the company. Qualitative measures like 360 reviews and employee surveys are helpful in gathering this information, as are customer satisfaction tools, such as Net Promoter Score (NPS), which involves assessing the likelihood that customers will recommend the company to others.

Measuring Results

Measures help you quantify the data you’re collecting. Metrics give you a more complete picture of how well your business is performing. They are more focused on outcomes than inputs and can help you identify areas that need change to achieve your goals.

Measuring results usually involves converting raw data into physical signals that can be compared against some reference signal of known quantity. This process of comparison is called calibration.

Choosing the right measures is critical for success. You may need to choose more than one metric for each objective, but it’s not efficient or effective to track every possible measure. You’ll be better off tracking the most impactful metrics for each objective. Also, make sure you have someone in your organization who is responsible for monitoring and reporting on these KPIs. That way, that person will be more motivated to work toward achieving the desired results. Having this individual will be especially important in tracking trends over time.

Mass is the amount of matter in an object. It is measured in kilograms (kg) or grams, depending on the method used.

We can find the mass of an object in several ways, such as finding its WEIGHT and converting it to mass (making an assumption about standard gravity). We can also use Newton’s second law of motion to measure an object’s mass by observing how it accelerates when a force is applied to it.

Weight

Although the terms “weight” and “matter” are often used interchangeably outside of scientific contexts, these two quantities measure different physical properties. Mass is an intrinsic property of matter, while weight is the force exerted by gravity on matter.

The metric kilogram (kg) is the standard unit of measurement for mass, while the SI pound (avoirdupois pound or U.S. customary pound) is the standard unit of measurement for force.

The important distinction is that matter has the same mass wherever it is; weight, on the other hand, is dependent on a specific gravitational field. A 6 kg lump of matter has the same weight on Earth and in a rocket far from gravity, but it would have a very different weight on Mars or Saturn. This illustrates why scientists prefer to use the term mass instead of weight. A balance scale measures the weight of an object indirectly, by comparing it to reference objects. A spring scale, on the other hand, directly measures an object’s mass by observing its push on a spring or other measuring device.

Density

Density is the measure of the mass of a substance per unit volume. It is important in many physical applications such as pipe design, shipbuilding, helium balloons and even to solve crimes (Archimedes used it around 250 BCE to reveal that a craftsman defrauded the king by replacing gold with silver).

In general, solids are denser than liquids, which are in turn less dense than gases. However, the density of a particular material may be affected by its temperature and pressure.

Because of this, the density of a solid or liquid must be measured using a balance and a reference liquid of known density. Various techniques exist for measurement of density including the use of a hydrometer, a dasymeter, a buoyancy balance, an immersed body method and a pycnometer. The limiting factor in measuring the density of a solid is limited wettability (the ability to absorb water). This can be overcome by adding a few drops of wetting agent to the reference liquid.

Volume

While determining an object’s mass is straightforward with a balance, determining its volume can be more challenging. While it is easy to measure the volume of solids with a regular shape, like a cube, by multiplying length by width by height, it’s more complicated for irregular shapes.

Liquid volumes are also easy to determine with a burette or graduated cylinder for chemistry lab measurements or a standard measuring cup and spoon for everyday use. Gases are a little different, since they expand to fit their container, but even though it’s more difficult to measure, it can still be done with the same basic methods.

It’s important to understand the interplay between mass and volume. In order to accurately determine the density of an object, it is necessary to know its mass and its volume. This is particularly true when comparing two different substances that have the same weight, but differ in volume. Using the principles of Archimedes, you can find out which one has the higher density by calculating the amount of water it would take to equalize the volumes of the two objects.

Temperature

Temperature is one of the intensive properties of matter – it is related to the kinetic energy of vibrating and colliding particles making up the material. It also reflects the amount of heat energy that can spontaneously flow from one body to another.

The choice of the reference temperature is a key one for length measurements. For example, if two mating parts of different materials (say steel and brass) are assembled at the same temperature, they will be their nominal sizes because their coefficients of thermal expansion will be the same at that temperature. But if the parts are assembled at a different temperature, they will grow or shrink by the difference in their CTEs times the difference in temperature.

This is why the reference temperature for dimensional measurements is 20 degC. It may seem arbitrary but it was a result of many years of thought and discussion. It is also a result of the fact that temperature measurement is closely tied to thermometers and their construction.