Abstract (eng)
For thousands of years, people have been using beam scales to compare masses and determine their quantity. Their basic principles have not changed to this day, but over the course of time constructors have designed and manufactured various forms for different purposes. This work is dedicated to the balances of the historical physics collection of the University of Vienna, which were experimentally examined for their function and technical peculiarities, as well as placed in a historical context. Precision and analytical scales with an age between 35 and about 180 years allowed for weighing with a sensitivity of up to 100 µg. Surveys of the linearity and repeatability of the measurement results also confirmed the good preservation of some models. However, signs of wear on some of the tested scales significantly limited their functionality. A demonstration scale specifically designed for teaching, equipped with a large set of accessories, enables a variety of experiments to be carried out for lectures in mechanics or even school lessons, and could therefore still be used for this purpose. Unequal-armed scales are particularly suitable for illustrating the principle of the lever. Various measuring instruments compare gravitational forces and electrostatic or electromagnetic forces. Previously formulated theoretical dependencies could be demonstrated and experimentally verified for these devices. Their possible applications range from determining masses or electrical measurements to linking macroscopic quantities with fundamental physical constants.