Can anyone explain how a scale works? Why does a scale say 7.33 lb.’s? Or 6.82 lb’s. ? Rather than 7.05 lb’s or 6.5 lb.’s? Why would t all scales just show the oz’s? Like 8 ounces? It’s confusing.

There are scales out there that will show #s and ounces if you want. Or you can just do the math. 7.33#s is 7 pounds 5 ounces. There is a calculator on your phone that you're posting with.

The processing chip is programmed to display in decimals
It’s easier and cheaper to program this way and more accurate

1/3 is a repeating decimal 0.33333333333333 for ever and ever. Computers deal in 1s and 0s. Repeating decimals do not reflect what is weighed

For a scale to display 1/3oz it would have to have a separate program in the chip that rounds/manipulates the weight to 1/3

my scales will do both...

Math ain't that hard. If it looks like it weights 2 # just call it 3 #. Fisherman and Hunters round up. Fractions and decimals are for bean counters.

Most scales do both Jon. It's pretty easy to convert hundredths to ounces if you need to. Each ounce is APPROX 0.0625 of a pound. So if I hang a fish on my scale and it shows 10.86 just divide .86 by .0625 and you get 13.76 oz.

Most certified digital scales show pounds & hundredths. If you want to know pounds & ounces you will have to convert it.



I took a 10# bag of sugar to the butcher shop last week to see how accurate my Berkley digital scales were. On the butcher shop scales the sugar went 10.09. That's right at 10 pounds and an ounce & a half.

Weighed the same bag of sugar on my Berkley and it went 9 lbs 13 oz. So my Berkley is about 4 oz light at the ten pound mark.

because if they just went in tenths the guy way back at the dodge/big bass would not have beat me by .02 oz.

that is why. I was that close to an hrly truck.

I would have to agree that you do have trouble with numbers and math, even when decimals are not involved. For instance, a 12" graph does not fit in a 9" bracket......

Just buy the one that conforms to your way of thinking. They are out there for sale.

Without getting into the weight vs. mass debate because technically gravity is slightly different at different parts of the earth, we just erroneously call everything weight. What we really want is the MASS of the fish, not a measure of the downward force it exerts, which is weight. Weight is a force, measured in Newtons, and can easily be tricked (bounce the scale for instance) whereas mass is what you really want to know (how BIG is the fish). For measuring fish, we just ASSume weight equals mass.

It makes little sense with the accuracy of today’s scales to change units when measuring weight. It’s simplest to say the fish weighed 10.5 lbs or 10.50 lbs then to change units and say 10lbs 8 ounces. You can simply add the thousandths place and make it 10.504 lbs if you need more accuracy instead of saying 10 lbs 8.064 ounces which just complicates matters.

Look at fluid ounces if you really want to see bizarre.

But some traditions are hard to break so a lot of trails still swap units and say pounds and ounces. Of course we fisherman like to play these off to our advantage..... “I caught a ten nine!” Wow! Almost eleven, or was it?