Physics - Two 100-N weights are attached to a spring scale as shown.

Two 100-N weights are attached to a spring scale as shown. Does the scale read zero, 100 N, or 200 N -- or some other reading?

Answer:

The scale reads the tension in the string. The tension in the string is 100 N. This is the force the string must exert up on either of the 100-N weights at either end of the string.

Nothing is moving, nothing is accelerating, so the net force on the spring is zero. Likewise, the net force on either of the 100-N weights is also zero. But that is another question. The spring scale does not measure the net force. The spring scale simply measures the tension, the magnitude of the force exerted by the string.

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