If you stand on a pair of bathroom scales, explain how the readings change as you shift your weight gradually from side to side. what rule governs the readings on the scale?
the sum of the weights on the scale equals the total weight.
When you stand on a pair of bathroom scales and shift your weight gradually from side to side, the readings on the scale will change accordingly. This is because the readings on the scale depend on the distribution of your weight on each scale.
The rule that governs the readings on the scale is known as Newton's third law of motion, also known as the law of action and reaction. According to this law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the case of bathroom scales, the action is the force you exert on the scale, and the reaction is the force the scale exerts on you.
As you shift your weight from side to side, the distribution of your weight changes, resulting in different amounts of force being exerted on each scale. When you shift your weight towards one side, more force is exerted on that particular scale, causing its reading to increase. Conversely, when you shift your weight away from one side, less force is exerted on that scale, causing its reading to decrease.
This happens because the scale measures the force acting upon it, which is the reaction force exerted by your weight. The scale converts this force into a reading, typically displayed in units of weight (such as pounds or kilograms).
So, the rule that governs the readings on the scale is that they change as you shift your weight due to the action-reaction principle described by Newton's third law of motion.