Q1.
Look at the spring balance shown in Fig. 5.13 carefully. What is the maximum weight it can measure?
Answer
The maximum weight it can measure is 10 N. Thus, this scale has a range of 0 to 10 N.
Read it off the instrument itself: the NEWTONS scale on the right of Fig. 5.13 is marked 0, 01, 02, … up to 10, and 10 is the last mark on it. Alongside it runs a GRAMS scale marked 0, 100, 200, … up to 1000, so the same balance can show masses from 0 to 1000 g.
Tip: the range is the first thing to check on any instrument, exactly as you did with the thermometer in ‘Temperature and Its Measurement’ in Curiosity, Grade 6. Hanging an object heavier than 10 N from this balance can damage the spring permanently.