How do you weigh an elephant without using a scale?

Answer 1

Let Me Count the Weighs

Our users give some suggestions:

• I would take an educated guess: Let's assume that the elephant has a similar chemical makeup to humans (70% of the body mass is water). Submerge the elephant in a tank of water to see how much water it displaces. Look up the mass-weight conversion for water. Multiply that by .70 and the volume displaced. The other 30% is presumeably organic material subject to the same laws of nature as we are. Research the mass constants for this material - bone, flesh, fat, and muscle. Use weighted coeficients available and referencing the species to estimate the weight of the remaining 30%.
• You could try constructing a primitive scale: Place a sturdy board over a fulcrum, so that it balances. Then put what you want to weigh on one end of the fulcrum and slowly add weight to the other side (use things you do know the weight of, or you'll end up back where you started). Once the board is balanced on the fulcrum again, you know that both sides equal roughly the same amount of weight (the weights' relative location on the board might cause some error, but not too much to worry about).

  For an elephant, you'll need a board large enough to fit the elephant on one half of it, and sturdy enough to not warp or break under the weight. You'll also want a fulcrum large enough to span the width of the board, to increase stability. I'd recommend getting some friends who are comfortable with sharing their own weights to be the counterbalance, if that's not enough then find some heavy machinery that has its weight listed on it and try using that.