A (Trick) Trick Question
So here's a trick question everyone has heard before, and I'd consider it a favor if you formulate an answer before reading the rest of my post: Which is heaver, a ton of feathers or a ton of gold?
Generally if a person is responding without thinking, they'll say a ton of gold. If you actually think about it for a second or two, you'll realize that the answer is that both weigh the same (since they both weigh a ton).
Unknown to almost everyone, both of those answers are actually incorrect. Generally I don't like to nitpick, but I just couldn't resist when I found out that there was a trick to this trick question.
The original standard unit of weight was the troy pound, which is roughly 373 grams. It was eventually superseded for most purposes by the pound avoirdupois (the international pound), which is 453.6 grams. The pound avoirdupois is the standard we mainly go by today. The troy pound is still used by jewelers and other such institutions, however, in the weighing of precious gems and metals.
So now we shall measure our two materials using their native measurement systems. One short ton (2000 pounds) of gold (measured in troy pounds) is roughly 746,000 grams, whereas a short ton (2000 pounds) of feathers (measured in avoirdupois pounds) is roughly 907,200 grams.
In short, a ton of feathers weighs more than a ton of gold. You were ALL wrong!
Young and Out of Uniform,
Generally if a person is responding without thinking, they'll say a ton of gold. If you actually think about it for a second or two, you'll realize that the answer is that both weigh the same (since they both weigh a ton).
Unknown to almost everyone, both of those answers are actually incorrect. Generally I don't like to nitpick, but I just couldn't resist when I found out that there was a trick to this trick question.
The original standard unit of weight was the troy pound, which is roughly 373 grams. It was eventually superseded for most purposes by the pound avoirdupois (the international pound), which is 453.6 grams. The pound avoirdupois is the standard we mainly go by today. The troy pound is still used by jewelers and other such institutions, however, in the weighing of precious gems and metals.
So now we shall measure our two materials using their native measurement systems. One short ton (2000 pounds) of gold (measured in troy pounds) is roughly 746,000 grams, whereas a short ton (2000 pounds) of feathers (measured in avoirdupois pounds) is roughly 907,200 grams.
In short, a ton of feathers weighs more than a ton of gold. You were ALL wrong!
Young and Out of Uniform,