Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of gold?

Question

The old trick question asks which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of lead, and the answer is "they weigh the same".

Now ask the same question about a pound of feathers and a pound of gold, using the units that would actually be used to sell each of them.

Which weighs more?

Accepted Answer

The pound of feathers is heavier. Two different pounds. Feathers, like almost everything, are weighed in avoirdupois pounds: 16 ounces, about 454 grams. Gold, silver and other precious metals are weighed in troy pounds: 12 troy ounces, about 373 grams. So a pound of feathers outweighs a pound of gold by about 80 grams. The ounce goes the other way. A troy ounce is about 31.1 grams, while an avoirdupois ounce is about 28.3 grams. So an ounce of gold is heavier than an ounce of feathers, even though a pound of gold is lighter than a pound of feathers. The reason is that a troy pound has only 12…

Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of gold?

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