Why doesn't a scale submerged in water register the weight of the water?

Subject: Why doesn't a scale submerged in water register the weight of the water?

Date: Fri Feb 25 23:41:35 2005
Posted by tom
Grade level: nonaligned School: n/a
City: brownstown State/Province: mi Country: wayne
Area of science: Physics
ID: 1109396495.Ph

Message:


my daughter, who is a fifth grader, is doing a science project.  she put a 
bathroom scale(spring type) in a sink and added measured amount of water until 
the sink was full.  the aproximate weight of the water above the scale when the 
sink was filled was 50 lbs., yet the scale read 0. what is the physical 
explanation for this result?

Re: Why doesn't a scale submerged in water register the weight of the water?

Current Queue | Current Queue for Physics | Physics archives

Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Physics.