Should you trust your digital scales?

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What does it matter is your hydrometer is calibrated correctly to a few percent or not? Provided you use the same hydrometer and measure at the same temperature and altitude, the difference between the two readings will be as precise as if you'd used one tuned up like a grand piano. So provided you use the correct equations for converting this difference into abv, you'll be spot on.
 
What does it matter is your hydrometer is calibrated correctly to a few percent or not? Provided you use the same hydrometer and measure at the same temperature and altitude, the difference between the two readings will be as precise as if you'd used one tuned up like a grand piano. So provided you use the correct equations for converting this difference into abv, you'll be spot on.
'Cos, like I'm often doin', when you are farting around trying to make something "new" it's a good idea to eliminate as much error as you can so as to see an error your something new is creating.

Or sumit like that? 😎
 
'Cos, like I'm often doin', when you are farting around trying to make something "new" it's a good idea to eliminate as much error as you can so as to see an error your something new is creating.

Or sumit like that? 😎
Agreed in principle, but in practice there is no error to eliminate as the errors (in the situation I described above) cancel each other out.
.... and before you get started on pycnometers .... ;)
 
Will all this make tastier beer or is it the difference in knowing your beer is 4.45% or 4.49%?
Back in the day I got interested in audiophile hifi equipment and ended up only listening to the system instead of listening to the music. I think we're in the same game here.
 
Back in the day I got interested in audiophile hifi equipment and ended up only listening to the system instead of listening to the music.
My former career was a live sound engineer, can’t go to a gig anymore without analysing the mix.
I spent ages trying to find a sound system for my disco shed that could hit 120dB and was reasonably flat up to 20kHz, around the same time I went with my daughter to a Brainiac show and part of it was us standing up whilst they played increasing frequencies until you couldn’t hear them and sat down, I was on my **** by 14kHz! Made getting the sound system easier…
 
Electronic scales use little load cells in a wheatstone bridge arrangement. The cell compensates for variations in temp and eccentric load and do a brilliant job these days. However unless it's an expensive one variations can be significant. Use the 200g weight to do an eccentric loading at the plate corners then do a repeatability (5 reps same place) Commercial trade scales had an allowance of about 2 divs. You can also do a change-over test with weights 1/10 of the scale increment to test sensitivity across the weight range. Sensitive scales also need to be calibrated at the site of use to compensate for height above sea level. I designed and ran a UKAS mass calibration laboratory long ago in a different life. Back to put another brew on - life's a lot more fun now!!!athumb..
 
My science teacher got kicked out of a pub at our sixth form leaving do for hitting the landlord with a sausage roll. He proudly put his accuracy down to his detailed knowledge of scientific principles, though how believable this was given that the incident arose due to him missing the darts board and making holes in the wall - I'm not sure.

I don't know the relative densities of the roll, air or board - but the glasses were definitely being refilled with 568 ml of locally produced Marston's Pedigree
 
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