Say I’m standing on a scale in the middle of the room and I weigh 150 lbs. Why is it that when I crouch down and apply force to ready a jump, the scale jumps to 200+ lbs even though it’s still my body weight?
Does this kinetic energy make me heavier for a moment? Why does the scale read so many extra lbs?
In: Physics
This is a good illustration of the difference between *mass* and *weight.*
Mass is more or less constant, although the mass of a human body fluctuates due to food and water intake and urine and fecal output.
Weight is your mass relative to earth’s gravity and the vagaries of kinetic energy acting on your body. When you jump on the scale your kinetic energy temporarily and artificially creates a seeming increase in your weight.
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