What is a scale? Detailed analysis

The article tells about what a scales are, briefly shows the history of their creation and considers their two varieties - floor and kitchen.

Ancient times

From time immemorial, at the dawn of the emergence of extensive trade relations, people have a need to accurately determine the weight and quantity of a particular product. And if, for example, with the same grain, it's easier (you can measure buckets and other vessels), then what about something more dimensional and different in mass, for example, with poultry, meat and other non-friable foods? The first scales, which were found by archaeologists, date back to the V millennium BC and are made in Mesopotamia. Also this device is well distinguishable on papyrus from Ancient Egypt, which dates back to 1250 BC. E. But what is a scale and what are they?

Definition

According to the official terminology, the balance is an apparatus for determining the exact mass of an object by the action of an internal mechanism or by comparison with a reference value. The very first scales, which were used for a long time all over the world, were leverage. By appearance and method of weighing, they could differ, but the principle has always been one. The most famous are cups. On one bowl was placed the goods, and on the other - the reference cargo (one or several). When balancing both sides, the mass was accurately determined.

With what scales are, we figured out, but by what principle are modern and the same floor?

Principle of operation

In total, there are five types. These are lever, spring (in which the weight is determined by the degree of compression or stretching of the spirally twisted piece of metal), strain gages (in which the corresponding sensor is deformed), hydrostatic (where the principle is based on the Archimedes law) and hydraulic.

In everyday life, spring and strain gauges are the most common, since they have a small size, and the latter are highly accurate to fractions of a gram. Now we know what scales are and what the principle of their action is. Let's talk about the most common in everyday life or production - floor and kitchen.

Outdoor

Such devices for weight determination are used in enterprises working with overall and massive loads, which are conveniently placed and weighed on the floor, for example, at the post office. In the latter case, they must be stable, accurate and durable.

The second area of their application is purely domestic. Here scales outdoor are needed to determine the mass of people who are watching their weight. For example, athletes or just want to lose weight. They differ in their small size and thickness, act on a spring or strain-gauge basis. In the first case they work without any power sources, and for the second they need batteries. Although some models are equipped with small solar panels, which in a dozen seconds are charged with a short-term energy store.

Kitchen scales

Such scales mainly use restaurants and other establishments that make food. They are highly accurate, to fractions of a gram, small in size, protected from moisture, dirt and high temperatures.

Also, kitchen scales are used and in home use, when preparing dishes, where the exact weight of ingredients is particularly important.

Other fields of application

Without scales, a number of other organizations and spheres can not do without. They determine the weight of luggage at the airport passengers, the mass of trucks at customs and elevators, containers in ports and railway terminals. Retail outlets are the place where we see scales of the most different modifications most often.

This is an indispensable part of the equipment in chemical, physical and pharmaceutical laboratories and enterprises in the relevant areas, where the accuracy of the mass of the components is extremely important.

Now we know what scales are, what they are for and what are the main types of these devices that exist today.