What weighs more, a pound of rocks or a pound of feathers?

[The Shadow]

They weigh the same but which has greater mass?

they key is in the wording.....a "pound" is self defining.....both the feathers AND the rocks weigh the same....as indicated in the initial question...so..things like altitude etc wont affect the answer...a pound is a pound is a pound


the confusion arises from confusing the density(takes mass and volume into consideration) and the weight.

 

[redguru]

They weigh the same but which has greater mass?

If they are weighed in the same location with respect to the center of earth's gravity, then both weight and mass are equal. The mass per unit volume will be larger in the case of the rock (unless it's some exotic igneous).

 

[The Shadow]

The mass per unit volume will be larger in the case of the rock (unless it's some exotic igneous).

i.e. - density

DING DING

 

[FISHTALES]

yep....gold is measured in Troy ounces....


so...what weighs more - 16 oz of steel or 16 oz of gold??

wouldnt that really be determined on whether or not u used the same process of measurment....troy oz is how they weigh gold for sale?yes/no but a pound is a pound on a regular scale

 

[Dial_tone]

a lb of pot, because after you smoke that much the munchies will put another 5 lbs on you.

 

[WhiteCastle]

I am not believing people are actually voting on this one! LOL! Where is the '1 lb is 1 lb' button?

One pound is one pound, regardless of what is being weighed....

16 ounces of rock and 16 ounces of feathers is exactly the same ammount of weight.

 

[blut wump]

Happy Monday, everyone.

 

[redguru]

Happy Monday, everyone.

What if we weighed the rock in Britain and the feathers on Jupiter?

Also, I am funding the new Polish space program. First manned flight to the sun. We're going to land at night, take off before dawn.

 

[blut wump]

There could be a discrepancy in weight depending on how well one could press the feathers flat, causing the centre of mass of the feathers to be closer to the ground than that of the rock. Pressing the rock flat could inhibit its continuing to remain a 1 lb rock.

 

[AAP]

The better question is which is worth more?