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Measuring instruments designed to determine the weight of bulk materials or large discrete objects. Scales use several methods for weighing, including gravimetric scales in which other masses are used to compare the mass of the unknown in the same way that balances work; spring scales, in which the gravitational force on the unknown is matched by a spring force of known constant; electromechanical scales using transducers and linear transformers or torque motors; and electronic scales using different types of sensors (e.g., strain gauges). Scales are used in the field of medicine to weigh patients for diagnostic or for some special treatments (e.g., dialysis, newborns), for clinical determinations (e.g., urine in diapers, blood in sponges), and also for general use (e.g., food weighing) in hospitals, nurseries, and at home.
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