Scale

Name:
Scale
Detailed information:
(1) A calcareous deposit in water tubes or steam boilers resulting from deposition of mineral compounds present in the water, e.g., calcium carbonate. (2) A type of paraffin or petroleum wax from which all but a few percent of oil has been removed by hydraulic pressing and subsequent processing. (3) A graduated standard of measurement in which the units (degrees) are defined in relation to some property of what is measured, e.g., temperature scale, Brix scale, Baumé scale. (4) The markings indicating such units as on a thermometer or graduate. (5) A weighing device that may be of the beam type in which weights (poises) and lever systems are used, or of the direct-reading spring type in which the gravitational pull of the object being weighed is counterbalanced by a known constant spring force.See Boiler Scale; Balance.