Comment on If I stood on a precision scale and farted, would I get lighter or heavier?

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Nibodhika@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

No, scales don’t measure mass but weight, it is completely possible to lose weight and have the scale show a larger number because of buoyancy. For example, grab a helium balloon capable of holding up a 1kg mass mid-air and the scale would show 1kg less than when you release it. This is very simple to understand, how much would the scale show for a 1kg object tied to that balloon? 0 of course, the object is not even touching the scale, and a slightly heavier object would only be making that slight weight difference of pressure on the sensors, not the remaining 1kg.

So conservation of mass has nothing to do with the question here. It’s all to do with whether farts are denser than air while inside your body.

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