weighing scales

[Tez]

heres a cute question.

I was just looking at digital weighing scales to buy.

One of the scales had a warning along the lines of: "If used on carpet, extend the little feet on each corner. Not recommended for carpet thicker than BLAH"

So the question is (going to the spherical cow limit): Say you place your weighing scale on a bed of springs. Will you read a higher/lower/equivalent weight to what you measure with the scales on a hard tile floor...

[fishbob]

If you place your weighing scale on a bed of springs, it will tip over and dump the load onto the floor, causing the scale to display a lower weight.

[arcticpenguin]

I think many modern scales these days use strain gauges. Could it be a static electricty issue?

[Tez]

Originally posted by arcticpenguin
I think many modern scales these days use strain gauges. Could it be a static electricty issue?

Could be AP - I actually meant to pose it as a puzzle for just a regular old style scale on a regular bed of densly packed stable springs! The question as to why they have that particular warning on that specific type of scale is interesting too, but the answer may well be different...

[BillyJoe]

If you place your scale on a carpet instead of a hard floor, there is a risk that, if you don't distribute your weight evenly on the scale, the scale will tend to tip up on a very slight angle to the horizontal which would cause it to underweigh slightly.

Extending the feet a little on each corner is a way of reducing this effect by achieving a more even distribution of weight on the scale and therefore a reduced tendency for it to tip up slightly.