Video Transcript
Which of the following tools shown
is a spring balance?
A spring balance is a tool that is
used to measure the weight of an object. The three tools that we see here
can measure the mass or weight of an object. Tool (A) is a balance scale, which
compares the mass of objects by balancing them out on either side of the scale. And it contains no springs in its
construction, which means it certainly cannot be a spring balance. Tool (B) is a digital weight scale,
so named because when you place an object on the scale to measure it, it gives a
digital reading of mass or weight. And digital scales often do not
include any springs in their construction, meaning that this cannot be a spring
balance.
We see though that tool (C)
certainly has a spring, and the method used to measure an object’s weight using this
tool is to balance some object on the hook at the end. Tool (C), often called a spring
scale, is also called a spring balance. Both of these terms refer to the
same tool. So the answer to “which of the
following tools shown is a spring balance?” is answer (C).