Measuring eneergy used/force needed

[Napoleon]

Science fair project involving the lifting of a weighted dummy at different degrees of knee bending as the starting point. What would be the best way to measure/determine the amount of physical energy used or force needed to lift the dummy? Thanks

[norman40]

Hello Napoleon,

One possibility that comes to mind for your force measurement is a spring balance. This kind of instrument can be used to weigh objects and it can be used to measure a pulling or pushing force on an object. Some examples are shown here:

http://www.carolina.com/spring-scales/f ... &question=

As you can see from the above link, spring balances have different maximum force capacities. You'll need to select the proper capacity based on the weight of object you'll be lifting.

I hope this helps. Please ask again if you have more questions.

A. Norman