definition of weight

["Carl E. Mungan" <mungan@USNA.EDU>]

A number of you have in the past expounded in great detail upon an
alternative definition of weight as the reaction to the normal force
a spring scale would exert on an object.

Slowly my resistance to this idea has been ground down to the point
that I'd like to try it with my first-semester physics majors this
year.

So, I have written up a summary of my understanding of how this idea
works and how to present it in the typical intro physics course:
http://physics.usna.edu/physics/Faculty/mungan/Scholarship/ScaleWeight.pdf

I would be greatly pleased if some of you would read this over and
correct/simplify/add to it. -CEM
--
Carl E. Mungan, Asst. Prof. of Physics  410-293-6680 (O) -3729 (F)
      U.S. Naval Academy, Stop 9C, Annapolis, MD 21402-5026
mungan@usna.edu    http://physics.usna.edu/physics/faculty/mungan/