Unit 29

Scales

Basic Principles of Reading Scales

• Scales are used in many health occupations. – Examples include scales used in health

care facilities to weigh patients, pharmacies to weigh medications, dietary departments to weigh food, and dental laboratories to weigh dental materials.

Basic Principles of Reading Scales

• Most of the newer scales are digital or electronic.– They are easy to read because the weight

is displayed in numbers on the screen, similar to the way the numbers appear on a calculator screen.

Basic Principles of Reading Scales

• Many health care facilities still use scales that must be balanced to obtain the weight.

• Two very common scales are beam-balance scales and infant scales.– The beam-balance scale usually consists

of two weight bars (top and bottom).

Basic Principles of Reading Infant Scales

• Infant scales vary. – The scale shown here has increments of pounds

shown by the long lines marked 1, 2, and so forth.

– The smaller lines represent ounces (oz).

– Note that the lines for 4, 8, and 12 ounces are longer and are labeled.

Scales

• Example: The lower weight bar on a beam-balance scale is set at 11 pounds (lb). The upper weight bar is at the second line past the 6-ounce (oz) mark. What is the correct reading?– The ounce reading represents 6 2/4 or 6 1/2 oz. – The correct weight reading would be 11 lb and 6

1/2 oz.

Practical Problem• On the scale below, each large line represents

one pound. Each small line represents 1 ounce.

• What is the correct reading at the second line past the 2 mark?

Practical Problem

• The correct reading would be 2 lb 2 oz.