Neither is heavier or lighter than the other. They both have the same weight. Namely, one pound.
Strange as it may seem, they both also have the same mass, namely 0.4536 kilogram. (rounded)
This is a very old and venerated trick question whos answer lies in the question.
A pound is a pound, no matter the material. There will be many more feathers than bricks, but they will weigh the same.
Wiki User
∙ 7y agoWiki User
∙ 14y agoWhile on the face of it a pound of feathers would seem to weigh the same as a pound of gold, this overlooks the fact that gold is universally weighed using a different definition of 'pound' than that used for most other materials.
Precious metals such as gold are measured in troy weight. A troy pound is 12 troy ounces, and each troy ounce is 480 grains, making a total of 5760 grains to the pound of gold.
Most materials use pounds and ounces from the avoirdupois system, and such a standard pound is made up of 16 ounces, where each ounce is 437.5 grains, making a total of 7000 grains to the pound of feathers.
All this means that a "pound" of feathers (or bricks, or lead) is heavier than a "pound" of gold.
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The question is an old gag, based on the fact that gold is measured in troy ounces, but feathers (like all material other than precious metals and gemstones) are measured in avoirdupois ounces. Because troy weight has 12 ouncesto a pound, but avoirdupois weight has 16 ounces to a pound, the trick answer is that a pound of feathers (at 16 ounces) is heavier than a pound of gold (at 12 ounces).
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThey both weigh the same amount, and each of them also weighs the same amount
as a pound of flour, a pound of chili, a pound of pasta, a pound of mud, a pound of
paper clips, a pound of red paint, a pound of water, a pound of hair clippings, a
pound of auto parts, a pound of dead batteries, a pound of instant coffee, a pound
of model airplanes, a pound of potato salad, a pound of laundry soap, a pound of
dog food, a pound of aspirin tablets, or a pound of ground beef. We can even tell
you what the amount is: It's one pound.
Of course, it would take a lot more feathers to weigh a pound than it would bricks, so the volume of feathers would be much greater.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThe correct answer is that they all "weigh" the same : one pound.
They are equal in weight, which is different from density.
There is, however, a physical difference as explained below.
Exception - Pound as a Unit of Mass
They are all very close to having the same weight on Earth but 'pounds' can also be a measurement for mass. The pile of material that has the greatest density would have its center of gravity closest to Earth. As such, gravitational attraction is infinitesimally greater for that material than for the less-dense materials whose centers of gravity are slightly farther away from the center of Earth. In this case, the bricks are more dense than either cheese or feathers, so its weight will be ever-so-slightly heavier than the cheese or feathers.
Another factor that should be considered in this question is the buoyancy provided by the atmosphere of the earth. The material with the smallest volume will displace less air than those with larger volumes. In this case, the bricks, again displace less air. The buoyant force operates opposite to weight so the bricks benefit less from the atmospheric buoyancy, and so, weigh less for that reason, too.
For similarly shaped heaps of bricks, cheese and feathers, all with equal masses, whose bottom surfaces are in contact with a surface the same distance from the center of the earth, the bricks, being densest and less buoyant than the other two materials, will have greater weight than the other materials.
However, if you put each one into an identical box, then close and seal the boxes, there's no way a scale can tell you which one is in any box. They would all weigh one pound.
More on Buoyancy
The common answer is that they "weigh" the same. Assuming you start at STP with a 1 lb mass of each of the substances, the weight, as determined by either a spring or equal arm balance will be slightly different*. Each substance will displace an amount of air equal to its volume and have a buoyant upwards force equivalent to the weight of the displaced air. Thus the denser material will have a proportionately smaller upward force which would translate as a larger downward force in favour of the object. Comparing the densities of the proposed objects means that the feathers would be lighter than the cheese, and both lighter than the bricks.
(* The difference would be immeasurable using any common scale.)
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Wiki User
∙ 13y ago1 pound of anything has the mass of 1 pound. One pound of bricks has the same mass as 1 pound of feathers. They have different densities. The pound of bricks would be more compact than the pound of feathers.
They weigh the same. Both 1 pound of bricks and 1 pound of feathers have a weight of 1 pound.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoneither they both weigh the same amount-one pound
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThey are both a pound, so they weigh the same amount
Wiki User
∙ 7y agoThey both weigh the same (1 lb), but the feathers would be a larger mass than the bricks.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoThey weigh the same amount- a pound.
Cheese bricks, obviously. Actualy if it's a pound of cheese, a pound of bricks, or a pound of feathers they al way the same,, no matter how much it seems that a pound of feathers is the lightest,,there all 1 pound! ^_^
All weighs a pound. So all will weigh the same
They both weigh one pound, but the volume of a pound of feathers will be much larger than the volume of a pound of bricks due to the difference in density. The bricks will be more compact and heavy, while the feathers will be lighter and fluffier.
If you've been truthful with us, and there really is a pound of each, then their weight is identical ... one pound. In this context, we're usually asked about feathers too. A pound of feathers also has the same weight as a pound of bricks or a pound of cheese. Moreover, just to keep all of our readers up to date, oranges are still the same color that they've always been, and old U. S. is still buried in Grant's Tomb.
A pound of lead weighs the same as a pound of feathers. The weight is the same, but the volume of feathers will be much greater than that of lead.
a pound is a pound is a pound!!!a pound of anything always weighs a pound doesn't matter if it is feathers or bricks!!!
They are all a pound so they way exactly the same.
Cheese bricks, obviously. Actualy if it's a pound of cheese, a pound of bricks, or a pound of feathers they al way the same,, no matter how much it seems that a pound of feathers is the lightest,,there all 1 pound! ^_^
All weighs a pound. So all will weigh the same
All of them weigh the same, because there is one pound each item.
They both weigh the same- a pound of anything always weighs the same.
They both weigh one pound, but the volume of a pound of feathers will be much larger than the volume of a pound of bricks due to the difference in density. The bricks will be more compact and heavy, while the feathers will be lighter and fluffier.
If someone asks you "which is heavier, a POUND of bricks or a POUND of feathers" they are equal because they both weigh a pound.I say a pound of bricks is heavierIn general the both weigh the same amount when it comes to a pound. Not a single brick and a single feather Everyone knows a brick weighs more than a feather.
Both the pound of feathers and the pound of bricks weigh the same amount, which is one pound. Weight is a measure of force due to gravity, so if they both weigh one pound, they are equal.
No, they should weigh the same.
We're not sure what chezz is, but if it's not a gemstone or a precious metal and it weighs a pound, then it weighs exactly the same as a pound of bricks.
1 lb of sugar weighs exactly the same as 1lb of feathers. a pound is a pound is a pound.