What is The Difference Between a Scale and a Balance?

What is The Difference Between a Scale and a Balance?

Scales and balances are both weighing machines, but the difference between scales and balances is that scales measure weight in relation to gravity, while balances compare the masses of two different objects.  

What is a scale?  

Historically, a weighing scale was a device that showed weight by measuring deflection, such as a spring scale.  In modern scales, balances usually use spring or strain gauge weighing elements.  Scales are generally considered to be inferior to scales in application and accuracy and are commonly used in the food, health, industrial and commercial industries to weigh ingredients, monitor personal health at the gym or at home, and check weighing or inventory procedures for businesses.  The types of scales are: mechanical scale, digital display scale, counting scale, crane scale.  

What is a balance?

A balance determines mass by balancing unknown masses with known masses, like a two-disk balance.  In modern weighing machines, the design of the balance usually uses a force recovery mechanism to create a force to balance the force due to an unknown mass.  Balances are generally more complex than balances, and professionals use advanced scientific weighing in science LABS, uniersities, medical facilities, and research and development-related environments.  Types of balances include microbalance, analytical balance and precision balance.