Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

To: js1138
Displacement measures volume, not weight.

No, that statement is incomplete. Displacement measure the MASS of a object if it is less dense than water and floats in water. A human body floats in water, ergo, it is less dense than water and the weight of the body is exactly matched by the weight of the water displaced. If the object is more dense than water, then it can only measure volume.

802 posted on 01/01/2009 7:38:26 PM PST by Swordmaker (Remember, the proper pronunciation of IE is "AAAAIIIIIEEEEEEE!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 789 | View Replies ]


To: Swordmaker
No, that statement is incomplete. Displacement measure the MASS of a object if it is less dense than water and floats in water. A human body floats in water, ergo, it is less dense than water and the weight of the body is exactly matched by the weight of the water displaced. If the object is more dense than water, then it can only measure volume.

The question is about what is being done in the calculation of body fat. The procedure.

The goal of the procedure is to determine body density. To calculate body density you need to know the volume and the weight.

Now you can quibble about weight vs mass, but for medical purposes, weight is generally measured by a scale. I've been weighed in a numer of doctor's offices, and the technology varies, but none have immersed me in water.

But the only easy and cheap way to measure body volume is by total immersion. It makes no difference how massive or dense a body is. Once it is totally immersed you have its volume. But weight is a separate and independent measurement.

Try to look at what is being done. You want body fat. There is some empirically derived formula for estimating body fat from density, so you want density.

Density is a ratio of volume to mass or weight, so you need both volume and weight. You get weight with a scale. You get volume by immersion.

And yes, you could do a combined procedure whereby you measure floating displacement and total displacement.

820 posted on 01/02/2009 6:27:35 AM PST by js1138
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 802 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson