Scales for Schools: Are Mechanical or Digital Scales Better?

The choice between digital and mechanical scales for schools can be a tricky one. It really depends on what you’re trying to teach your students. Are you teaching basic weighing concepts? Mechanical scales may be your choice. If you’re looking for a quick and simple weighing method for activities and experiments, digital scales may be more apt. Let’s dive deeper into the benefits of both mechanical and digital scales for schools.

What Are the Benefits Behind Mechanical Scales for Schools?

Mechanical scales for schools are excellent tools. Here we’ll discuss the top 3 benefits of using mechanical scales.

Hands-On Experience

Mechanical scales keep their moving parts within full view, letting students see exactly how weight is being calculated. When an item is attached to the hook on a spring scale like the Pesola Medio-Line range on Inscale, the weight of it stretches the spring inside the clear tube. It’s a fascinating example of how scales measure force, rather than mass. Students can even hang onto the hook and discover that though the weight of their arm doesn’t change, the scale measures a higher weight the harder they pull!

Mechanical balances like the TBB Triple Beam are also a fantastic example of how balances measure mass, rather than force. Unlike spring scales that share the weight result instantly, students need to add both the item on the pan as well as the counter-weight necessary to balance out the item. Then, they add up the weight they’ve slid along the beams! A fun weigh to learn about weight!

More Affordable

Without the internal hardware, mechanical balances and scales for schools are generally more affordable than digital balances and scales. This may mean you’re able to purchase more mechanical scales than digital scales for the same price, getting a smaller scale-to-student ratio.

No Need for Electricity

No doubt you only have a few electrical outlets in your classroom and most of them are spoken for! Mechanical scales and balances don’t need to be charged and don’t require batteries. Use them, store them, use them again, in perpetuity!

How Do Digital Scales Help Students Learn?

Digital scales are dependable tools for students of any age. Let’s get into the top three reasons digital scales might be your go-to for your students.

Quicker, More Accurate Operation

As experiments or activities get more advanced, students will need scales and balances that offer a higher level of precision than most mechanical scales can offer.

Secondary or university students, for example, may be studying for careers that require ultra-precise results, like those obtained from analytical or semi-micro balances with readabilities between 0.01mg and 0.1mg. Though balances with this level of precision are more expensive, they’re able to provide unmatched results.

More Versatile

Digital scales often offer more functions than mechanical balances in addition to regular weighing. The Highland Portable Precision Balance, for example, boasts parts counting, percentage weighing and accumulation functions. Students can use those functions to count identical pieces for games, to measure certain percentages of solutions or ingredients, or simply to add up the weights of multiple items. With these kinds of functions, you can typically use digital scales more frequently than mechanical balances because they have more applications built-in!

Durability

Adam’s Highland or the Core Compact Balances feature protection against clumsy students – ShockProtect™ technology. These digital scales can be dropped, kicked and punched without taking damage. See this video for proof!

What are Some Common Uses for Digital and Mechanical Scales in Schools?

As students get older, they’ll depend on scales and balances differently.

Primary

• Learning about equality and balance
• Comparing items by weight
• Demonstrating how weight can be used to help count items
• Strengthening Motor Skills

Secondary

• Learning the physics behind density, weight, mass and force
• Understanding the difference between weighing units and how to convert them
• Collecting reliable data for experiments in chemistry, physics and biology

University

• Using scales and balances for percentages, moisture determination, formulas, etc.
• Applying advanced precision in research
• Understanding tolerances, calibration and readabilities

What Are the Best Mechanical & Digital Scales for Schools?

We offer a variety of mechanical and digital scales for education on Inscale. Here are the ones we think will be the best fit for your classroom:

TBB Triple-Beam Balances

Capacities: 2.61kg

Readabilities: 0.1g

Adam Equipment’s TBB Triple-Beam balances are perfect for teaching mass measurement concepts in schools. With included underbalance hook, the TBB can also be used to teach density determination. It’s the perfect hands-on tool!

Micro-Line Precision Spring Scales

Capacities: 10g – 100g

Readabilities: 0.1g – 1g

This simple spring scale offers a clear aluminium tube so students can watch as the spring expands and contracts inside. This means it’s an affordable and hands-on way to learn about the effects of force and gravity on weight.

CB Compact Balances

Capacities: 500g – 3kg

Readabilities: 0.1g – 1g

The CB Compact Balance is an excellent introductory digital scale for students. With only three buttons and three weighing units, the CB is quick and easy to operate, saving time in activities and experiments.

Highland Portable Precision Balances

Capacities: 120g – 6000g

Readabilities: 0.001g – 0.1g

Adam’s Highland Portable Precision Balances are the next step up in both functionality and durability. With three additional functions and ShockProtect Technology, the HCB is ideal for late Primary and Secondary classrooms dedicated to precision and accuracy without risk.

Luna Analytical Balances

Capacities: 80g – 250g

Readabilities: 0.0001g

University students deserve high-quality weighing machines that will help them develop necessary skills for the workforce. For example, attention to detail, precision, efficiency and resourcefulness – since balances like the Luna boast seven additional weighing functions!

Need help deciding between a digital or mechanical scale or balance for your school? Contact the Inscale team for help.