Question

Joseph is a full-grown adult man. He goes to the doctor's office. The nurse weighs Joseph before his appointment. When he steps on the scale, it reads "35LBS". Confused, the nurse re-weighs Joseph. When she tries six more times, the scale still reads "35LBS". As a measure of Joseph's weight, the scale is:

1) accurate
2) inaccurate
3) calibrated
4) broken

Answer 1

The scale reading "35LBS" is likely inaccurate or broken, as a full-grown adult man's weight would be much higher. Bathroom scales measure weight through the compression of internal springs but must be calibrated properly to give correct readings, which would not be accurate if the scale were in free fall or on the Moon.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this scenario, when the nurse weighs Joseph and the scale repeatedly reads "35LBS", the scale is likely broken or inaccurate. A full-grown adult man would weigh significantly more than 35 pounds, so the consistent display of this weight indicates a problem with the scale's function. Bathroom scales measure weight, which is the force exerted by gravity on an object. When a person stands on a scale, the springs inside the scale compress in response to the person's weight. This compression is then translated into a weight reading. If a scale were in free fall or accelerating, it would not read the actual weight correctly due to the lack of opposing force from a stable surface.

If you suspect a bathroom scale is inaccurate, a type of test you might use to verify its accuracy would involve comparing the scale's readings with known weights.

On the Moon, a scale calibrated for Earth's gravity would not accurately display mass because the force of gravity is weaker there, affecting the scale's springs differently. For Joseph's case, considering the reliability and accuracy of the scale is essential to determine his actual weight.