Why does the moon effect our weight on the scale?

Question

Sometimes the scale goes up on a full moon..

Answer 1

Whether the moon is full or not is irrelevant to scales, as the phase of the moon is just how much of it we can see, but the whole moon is always there. What does make a difference is the location of the moon. The moon, like everything with weight, has it's own gravitational pull. Due to the moon's size, it's graviational pull does have an effect on the Earth, most obviously the tide.
If the moon is directly overhead when you weigh yourself, the pull from the moon will counteract the Earths gravity, therefore making you weigh very slightly less. If the moon is off to the side, the moon will try to pull you sideways! As the pull is so weak, you cannot feel this effect however.
If you do notice that you wegh more on a full moon, it is more likely that you have just had a big meal and so weigh more, or you have the scales on carpet which will also effects the result.

Answer 2

on a full moon, if anything, the scales should go down.

The human body is basically a complicated bag of salt water and like the oceans will be attracted to the moon in a gravimetric sense. I'd be surprised if you noticed the difference though on a set of household scales.

Answer 3

Piglet O; okay some obligatory crunching, but I did notice what must have been a typo. The moon is about 1/80 the mass of the earth, not 1/8000.

Answer 4

the force of gravity is proportional to the mass and inversly proportional to the square of the distance.
for a body on the surface of the earth, the distance to the center of earth is about 6,375 km, while to the moon it's 363,104km at perigee. that's about 1/5750. squared that 1/33,062,500.
as for mass the moon is .0123 times the earth, or about 1/8000.
so the affect of the mass of the moon on your weight is about 1/264,500,000,000 times the affect of the earth.
that would have to be one delicate scale

Answer 5

I heard that if u stand directly under a full moon, you'll weigh less. Something to do with the earth's gravitational pull.

Answer 6

relatively you will weigh fairly much less, yet far from sufficient to ever wish to degree. The dude on the different part of Earth from you is being pulled in a line in direction of the solar via *the two* the Earth and the solar. you're being pulled in direction of the solar too, yet on the comparable time Earth is pulling you down, faraway from the solar.

Answer 7

The moon might make you weigh less during it's perigee, because of it's gravity, but it wouldn't be enough to measure.