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**soprofaxelbis** · 12-28-2007, 08:50 PM

Originally posted by snoopy369

Weight = Pull of gravity on a mass = proportional to mass when gravity is constant

Density = Mass over volume

Density is not relevant to weight. As stated above, unless the fart is replaced by a greater mass of air - which it, generally, is not - you are expelling mass/weight. OK, so imagine you are standing on some scales with about one hundred helium balloons strapped to you. Clearly the balloons, plus the helium inside them, add to your mass - but they're lifting you up, so the weight the scales report is actually reduced. Now, you let go of the balloons and of course your weight will go up. Ditto for helium, or any other lighter-than-air gas, that is somehow attached to you.

Amazingly, someone has written a lot about this (I searched for 'fart weight down' on Google):

http://www.helium.com/tm/522270/weig...awyer-recently

I notice that this makes a distinction between weight, and weight reported by a scale. I am obviously talking about the latter, since that's what was used in the original 'experiment'. But I agree that by your definition, weight has in fact gone down.

12-28-2007, 08:50 PM	#29
soprofaxelbis Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 644 Senior Member	Originally posted by snoopy369 Weight = Pull of gravity on a mass = proportional to mass when gravity is constant Density = Mass over volume Density is not relevant to weight. As stated above, unless the fart is replaced by a greater mass of air - which it, generally, is not - you are expelling mass/weight. OK, so imagine you are standing on some scales with about one hundred helium balloons strapped to you. Clearly the balloons, plus the helium inside them, add to your mass - but they're lifting you up, so the weight the scales report is actually reduced. Now, you let go of the balloons and of course your weight will go up. Ditto for helium, or any other lighter-than-air gas, that is somehow attached to you. Amazingly, someone has written a lot about this (I searched for 'fart weight down' on Google): http://www.helium.com/tm/522270/weig...awyer-recently I notice that this makes a distinction between weight, and weight reported by a scale. I am obviously talking about the latter, since that's what was used in the original 'experiment'. But I agree that by your definition, weight has in fact gone down.
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