Message text written by INTERNET:phys-l@atlantis.uwf.edu
The problem with the "what a scale reads" definition of "weight" is tha=
t
you have to decide *which* scale you're going to read. Why should it
necessarily be the one you're standing on? What about the one between
your head and the ceiling when you stand up in a room that is too short t=
o
accommodate your height? What about the one between your back and the
hand of a friend as she pushes you out the door? What about the one
between your neck and the rope wrapped around it as ... Well, you get th=
e
picture.<
Why should it necessarily be the one you're standing on?
Because the one you're standing on is the only one my students have =
ever used. If your students routinely place a scale between their neck
and the rope wrapped around it, then you have bigger problems than =