Is it possible to weigh less than nothing?

Question

I read some stuff about edible gold, and this one guy said if this special gold thing(Its molecules aren't bonded like normal gold? I totally forgot, but it was this special gold, and it was different) was heated just right? It would levitate and weigh less than nothing... I'm really into Science and stuff, but this seems weird... like that could only happen in zero gravity or something... Gas floats and it weighs very little, but more than zero. Sorry if this is worded weirdly, or if it's too long.

Answer 1

You're asking a scifi question, not a scientific question. In scifi, anything can happen. Scifi frequently ignores the science to enhance the appeal of the fiction. For example, "Beam me up, Scotty," of Star Trek fame, is total fiction; there is no basis in science for teleportation. Yet we see it all the time in scifi.

Scientifically speaking, weight is always positive downward. That is, on Earth, it always points towards the center of the Earth. That's because the force of gravity always points into the center of things like planets and such. Negative weight, which is to weigh less than nothing, would mean the force of gravity is pushing away from the Earth or planet. And in nature, that just does not happen. So, it is NOT possible to weigh less than nothing.

But, and this is a big BUT, things can still levitate. Hot air balloons levitate even though they still weigh more than nothing because gravity is still pulling at them. How? Well, the hot air inside the balloon creates a force that opposes the balloon's weight. That is, the hot air force pulls upward against the force of gravity, and the hot air force is stronger than the force of gravity. Thus, the balloon rises; it levitates.

There are other examples of levitation in science. Rockets and airplanes can also create that opposing force that overcomes their weights. Rockets create the lifting force by their rocket thrusts. Airplanes create it by their speeds (velocities), which are created by the jets or propellers.

You are right about gas. It still weighs something, even though a large volume of it might weigh very little. And, despite their combined weight, some do levitate. But these gases are so-called lighter than air gases. Heavier than air gases, like carbon monoxide, do not rise; they stay on the ground unless something like wind causes them to rise.

And the reason lighter than air gases levitate is because they float, so to speak, in the air that surrounds them. And they float, just like a boat on water, because of a force called buoyancy. And that's the upward, away from gravity, force that opposes the weight of a lighter than air gas.

I'm going to throw in one equation. You can ignore it if you like, the previous words explain why it is impossible to weigh less than nothing. But this equation, if you understand it, can show why, but way shorter. The equation is this f = W - F; where W is weight, which is always positive downward; this means weight is always more than nothing. F is that opposing upward force I talked about earlier (the negative sign means upward), and f is just the force difference between W and F.

When f is greater than nothing (positive), it points downward into the Earth. When f is less than nothing (negative), it points upward into the sky.

So there you are. When weight W is bigger than F, f is greater than nothing and points downward; so whatever we are weighing stays wherever it is sitting. But when W is smaller than F, f is "less than nothing" and points upward; so whatever we are weighing levitates and leaves wherever it was sitting. And this levitation happens even though the weight is more than nothing.

Answer 2

During sleep you do sweat and your body does burn calories. There was a study done saying that a 160 lb. male who sleeps for an average of eight hours per night can burn up to 550 calories per night. Your body also has not taken in food in 6 to 8 hours so you will weigh less also. Also consider at the end of the day you have all of the food that you have eaten all day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) all in your body.

Answer 3

Normal matter, which we know about, does not "weigh less than nothing".

However, there is a concept that has been floated in cosmology called "exotic matter". It DOES imply that the gravitational force acting on exotic matter is repulsive.

It is by no means a generally accepted concept - but it is a more-or-less respectable speculation.

See the reference.

Answer 4

HA! this is a very good question. I was interested after reading what you had typed and found this. Its long, so i hope ya dont mind reading alittle bit. But its really interesting heh =]


The Ormus elements are the precious metal elements in a natural non-metallic form. In this form they are much more common than they are in their metallic form. There is strong evidence that the Ormus elements are nutritional minerals which are essential to all life. People tell stories of remarkable recoveries from a variety of diseases subsequent to eating the Ormus elements in a concentrated form. These elements also exhibit strange properties. Sometimes they disappear, levitate or pass through solid objects. They seem to be related to the ancient alchemical materials. They have been linked to the Biblical manna, shewbread, King Solomon's gold and the Egyptian "mfktz" discussed by Laurence Gardner in Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark.

Hope this helped! ^__^

Answer 5

no. if something is floating then there is some other reason why. a different force pushing it upward? like how you can make a ping pong ball float by forced air, or metal float by magnetic forces. gas doesnt really float either. it is just less dense than earth so it settles on top.

Answer 6

weighing less then zero is impossible. gravity is constantly pulling objects down...you've have to turn gravity off completely to get something to weigh less then zero.

Answer 7

for something to weigh less than zero, gravity will have to be repulsive!!!!