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How to weigh a baby safely in space?

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You would have to know the exact force of gravity at the location the baby is being weighed, and then know the conversion factor between that and the earths gravity. I believe even in earths orbit, the earth still exerts a gravitational force, so you would just have to somehow measure that, and calculate the earths gravitational pull at the surface.

Then again I could just be full of shit.
 
Originally posted by: LoKe
Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
accelerated the baby at a rate of 5 meter per second
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That hardly sounds safe.
Click to expand...

Why not?
Apply the force for just a couple of microseconds and it should be enough time to measure acceleration.

Or simply use less force than my example .....
 
They do weigh (I know, they determine their mass) astronauts on space stations with a contraption that looks like one person porch glider. Just like has been mentioned, they determine the force needed to stop a body in motion.
 
Originally posted by: Mxylplyx
You would have to know the exact force of gravity at the location the baby is being weighed, and then know the conversion factor between that and the earths gravity. I believe even in earths orbit, the earth still exerts a gravitational force, so you would just have to somehow measure that, and calculate the earths gravitational pull at the surface.

Then again I could just be full of shit.
Click to expand...
Your 2nd premise is correct and many are too ignorant to know this fact: an object in orbit (around the Earth in this case) is kept in orbit by gravity. (For brevity, I'm ignoring Einstein's GR in which gravity is a fictional force.)

If the Earth had a gravity "on-off" switch, and some foolhearty person switched the switch to the "off" position, all objects orbiting the Earth would fly off in a tangental direction. Gravity keeps the object in orbit, but the object is always falling towards the Earth which results in freefall, and the feeling of weightlessness. As an analogy, suppose you are standing on a scale in an elevator when all the cables snap and the elevator plummits downward. Looking at the scale in the falling elevator, you discover you now weigh nothing! (Or close to zero as air friction and elevator guide friction will retard your acceleration a bit.)

Your first premise ignores the fact that the object (baby in this case) is in freefall, but the basic idea can be done; there are satellites in orbit around the Earth measuring minute differences in surface gravity.
 
Strap the baby to one end of a long pole, and attach weights at the other. Spin the pole. When the axis of rotation is exactly between the center of mass of the baby and the weights, the mass at each end is equal. You could also use any old known mass, determine the distance between the axis of rotation and the baby, and the axis of rotation and the known mass, and do the math.
 
What difference does it make? When you put it in the microwave the lack of gravity will cause the water to heat differently than on earth anyhow so all of the weight estimate cooking and defrosting times will be off.
 
You could use an inertial balance...

here

That site explains how they're used.



Alternatively, you can measure the volume of the baby in a variety of ways and assume the density of a baby is approximately that of water.

Note: depending on the size of the inertial balance you use, it could lead to quite a bit of oscillating mostion for the baby, leading to the baby spitting up the milk and mashed peas it had for lunch. It's pretty gross in gravity environments; I'm thinking it may be grosser in zero gravity environments.
 
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