Know Yourself Better Using a Weighing Machine

It is said that necessity is the mother of inventions. The concept of weighing scale also emerged due to the need of merchants and traders to estimate the value of certain commodities that could not be counted cardinally. Hence to take the mass of commodities such as asymmetric silver or gold coins, wheat, rice and other food grains etc the standard weighing device was designed. The modern day weighing machine The present day weighing scales have come along a long distance starting from the very primitive beam balance model of the weighing machine. The very first traces off weighing devices were excavated from the Indus valley civilization that dates back to around 2000 BC. The primitive weighing machine was a simple beam fitted with two plates of equal mass on the edges of the beam that was fixed on a central pole. In order to measure any commodity it was kept on one plate and an equivalent weight was placed on the other plate suspended on the opposite edge of the beam. When the equilibrium was attained the accurate weight of the commodity being measured could be estimated.

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Although this is an accurate way of measuring the mass of items yet it is prone to certain foul acts such as manipulating the standard weights or the beams. Such balances which give tampered readings are often termed as rigged balances. With industrialization there were rapid technological advancements in the weighing scale. Weighing scales which did not require the use of any counter – weight for measurement of mass came in to existence. The spring balance invented by Richard Salter in the year 1770 was an evolution over the beam balance. The spring scale comprises of a spring over which the commodity to be measured has to be suspended. By estimating the pressure or the tension in the spring the mass of the object can be estimated accurately. Modern Day Weighing Machine The modern day weighing machines use wi-fi and digital technology to estimate masses. The probability of error has been reduced manifold in the modern day devices. Weighing machines today are not only used for personal purposes but also for commercial as well as research purposes. The latest weighing scales can give exact measure of mass up to several decimal places. The electronic weighing systems designed in the 20th century are very accurate and almost flawless.

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The vintage weighing machines that use the spring balance mechanism for measurement of mass are still found in certain European cities. For instance the vintage weighing scales in Paris read “He who often weighs himself knows himself well and he who knows himself well lives well.” The most contemporary weighing scales use electronic signals to measure the weight of users. The Withings scale is a modern era weighing device that uses the concept of measurement of pressure that is based on deformable materials. This system is very commonly used in the present day electronic consumer scales. Hence the Withings scale is one of the latest innovations in the weighing machine.