Veritasium: World's heaviest weight

[kevm14]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k9egfWvb7Y

How do you measure big forces accurately? By calibrating your force transducer on the world's biggest weight - 1,000,000 pounds of force. This machine ensures planes don't break apart, jets provide required thrust, and rockets make it to their destination.

Thanks to the people at NIST for showing me around: Rick Seifarth and Ben Stein. Animations here are by Sean Kelley and additional footage by Jennifer Lauren Lee.

I like how the tolerance of the weight actually requires buoyancy in air AND the gradient of gravitational force to be taken into account by adding more weight. That's awesome.