Re: A weighty subject

[Robert Carlson <Raacc@AOL.COM>]

In a message dated 10/14/99 2:38:22 PM Central Daylight Time,
Joel_Rauber@SDSTATE.EDU writes:

> This is why I said it may be ill-advised, you posited several instances
>  where it may be ill-advised.  Fraudulent, only if I represent my new
>  definition of the gallon as being the "same" ("equivalent") to the US
>  Federal law definition of a gallon.  Of course in the context of defining
>  weight to mean what the scale reads debate, nobody has been making
>  fraudulent use of their favorite definition, that I could tell.

Here is an imaginary scenario.

My wife gives me $2.00 to buy some hamburger at the local butcher shop.  Is
there still such a thing?  As I enter the butcher shop, I see a sign reading
Hamburger $2.00/LB.  Once in the butcher shop, I see the butcher has his
scale sitting in an elevator.  I notice the scale has a sticker saying it has
been inspected by the FDA, CIA, FBI, OSHA, DOT, FCC, FAA, NASA, DOE, etc.,
and feel fairly confident that I will get approximately a pound of hamburger.
 The butcher places some hamburger on the scale (when the elevator is at
rest) and I see it reads one pound.

Case 1:

Then the butcher pushes an elevator button, takes a scale reading, and labels
the weight on the package.  He then asks for $3.00.  I say what?  He says the
weight is what the scale reads?

What do I do?  I call the FDA, CIA, FBI, OSHA, DOT, FCC, FAA, NASA, DOE, and
my mom.  Actually, I call my mom first, because I know she will have this guy
out of business within an hour.

Case 2:

Then the butcher pushes an elevator button, takes a scale reading, and labels
the weight on the package.  He then asks for $1.00.

What do I do?  I buy two pounds and invite my mom over for supper.

The moral of the story:

1.  If you think weight is not well defined, then just check with the
International Bureau of Weights and Measures.  Or just check your physics
book.  There are conversions between lbs and Newtons and lbs and equivalent
mass weight.  It's not to difficult to see that the acceleration is g, not
1.5g or 0.5g.

2.  If you think you can legally define weight to be the measurement of your
scale, then you are again wrong.  Tell that to the inspector and the
inspector will say its not what your scale reads, its what my scale reads.

Bob Carlson